Researchers Map Marine Ecosystem Shifts in Okhotsk and Bering Seas

Scientists from Sevastopol and the Russian Far East have completed a joint expedition across the Okhotsk and Bering Seas. The team surveyed over 30 stations, collecting hundreds of hydrobiont samples to create a detailed biosphere profile of this Pacific Ocean sector. The study aims to determine how water productivity changes and the resulting implications for regional ecology and commercial fishing. Plankton as an Ecosystem Indicator Researchers focus on phyto- and zooplankton because these organisms form the base of the marine food pyramid. Their composition and abundance dictate which commercial fish species will inhabit these latitudes in the coming years and in what quantities. Andrey Kelip, Junior Researcher at the Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas and Ocean (InBЮM) RAN: "By examining the state of phytoplankton and zooplankton, we can assess sea productivity and determine future commercial species, their condition, and abundance—this is vital for the fishing industry."