Russian Arctic seas will become commercial

The Arctic used to look more like a lifeless desert, but now it is rapidly turning into a productive zone. This was reported to Izvestia by Vasily Povazhny, head of the O.Y. Schmidt Laboratory of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute.

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"Previously, the typical pattern was that species brought in by warm currents did not reproduce due to the harsh conditions in the Arctic seas. Therefore, they could not gain a foothold in the region. However, the situation is changing now, and we are observing that krill zooplankton, tiny crustaceans several millimeters in size, are reproducing well in the northern seas," the scientist explained.

He added that experts expect that after krill, predators will come to the northern seas — herds of fish for which these crustaceans serve as food. As a result, these seas will become commercial.

Previously, Vasily Povazhny said, only the Barents Sea was considered highly productive from the Russian Arctic seas. Probably, Karskoye, Laptevskoye and East Siberian will be added to it soon.

A similar situation is observed in the Chukchi Sea. Pacific species enter it through the Bering Bay.

Read more in the exclusive Izvestia article:

"Russian Arctic waters will become fishing regions"