Zoological Society of London

For a number of years, Sustainable Fisheries Greenland has collaborated with researchers from the Zoological Society of London to conduct ocean bottom surveys in those areas of the waters of West Greenland where prawn fishing takes place.

The co-operation was initiated in 2012, when MSC certification of prawn fishing in West Greenland began to increase in pace. At that time, very little or no documented knowledge of the seabed was available, and projects were therefore initiated with the aim of mapping – i.e. recording and documenting – sensitive areas with concentrations of corals and fungi, in particular. Two projects have been run, each with a duration of three years. Through these two projects, a great deal of knowledge has been gained in a relatively short period of time – knowledge that it is now important to extend. The Zoological Society of London is continuing its studies in Greenland, as the researchers involved have received financial support from the EU for a so-called ‘BEST’ project. This project will investigate the sea bottom conditions off West Greenland, where the ocean-going fishing for Greenland halibut takes place.