Trondelag Platform is located on the southwest coast of Norway’s continental shelf. The area encompasses the continental shelf north of Møre and Halten Terrace. The Norwegian coastline is characterised by extensive fjord systems. Most of the continental shelf consists of fine and sandy mud, with coarser sediments on the slope (MAREANO 2015).

The area is dominated by two northward flowing currents: the North Atlantic Current (NAC) and the Norwegian Costal Current (NCC). The NCC is a low-salinity current that originates from the Baltic Sea and runs along the coast fed by freshwater runoff from the fjords (Sundby et al. 2013; Espinasse et al. 2017). The NAC is saltier and runs parallel to the west of the NCC. The NAC is an extension of the Gulf Stream, transporting warm Atlantic water northward and promoting mild climates at these high latitudes (MAREANO 2015).

The area is located north of the Norwegian Trench, a large topographic feature that funnels the crustacean zooplankton copepod Calanus finmarchicus into the shelf around Møre. Copepods are an important food source for many pelagic fishes in the Norway Sea. Trondelag, located just upstream, is one the main spawning grounds for the boreal spring-spawning Atlantic Herring Clupea harengus, a species highly dependent on copepod eggs and larvae as its primary prey during early life stages (Holst et al. 2004; Opdal & Vikebo 2016).

This area overlaps with the Sularevet Marine Protected Area (UNEP-WCMC & IUCN 2024) and with three Key Biodiversity Areas: Froan, Smøla Archipelago, and Humlingsvær (KBA 2024a, 2024b, 2024c).

This Important Shark and Ray Area is subsurface and pelagic and is delineated from surface and inshore waters (0 m) to 400 m based on the bathymetry of the area.