Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 September 2013
The biology, ecology, and dynamics of the deep-sea teleost black scabbardfish in thenortheast Atlantic are reviewed. The black scabbardfish is a commercial bathypelagicspecies found in the NE Atlantic mostly from Iceland to the Canary Islands and WesternSahara, at depths from 800 to 1300 m. The spatial structure of its population is stilluncertain, although the existence of one single stock that migrates around the NE Atlanticdriven by feeding and reproduction is the most likely hypothesis consistent with availabledata. This review is based on data from commercial fisheries off the Faroe Islands, HattonBank, the west of the British Isles, and Portugal (mainland, Azores, and Madeira) and fromIcelandic and Scottish scientific surveys collected between 1988 and 2012. Spawning ofblack scabbardfish occurs around Madeira and the Canary Archipelagos during the lastquarter of the year. According to the migratory hypothesis, eggs, larvae, and possiblyjuveniles move north to areas from south of Icelandic and Faroe Islands to the west of theBritish Isles where they remain for some years to feed and grow. Then, they move south tothe area off mainland Portugal, where they reach the size of first maturity but do notreproduce, and later move further south to the spawning grounds. Further studies areneeded to understand which of the environmental conditions prevailing around Madeira andthe Canaries, but not elsewhere, allow this species to mature and subsequently reproduce.This review suggests that a multidisciplinary approach is required to confirm thespatiotemporal migration and habitats used by black scabbardfish populations in the NEAtlantic at different life stages. Otolith contour shape and microchemistry, fatty acids,carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes, as well as steroid hormones are proposed as promisingalternative tools for responding to this challenge.