The capelin (Mallotus villosus) stock in the Barents Sea is
an important commercial resource, in good years reaching
6–8 million tons with annual fishing harvest up to 3 million tons
(Gjøsæter, 1998). Capelin represents a major food source for several
predators in the ecosystem, like cod (Gadus morhua), marine mammals
and sea birds. Capelin spawns 1 mm demersal eggs during
March and April in subtidal waters outside the north Norway and
northwestern Russian (Murman) coasts (Gjøsæter, 1998) or intertidally
(local fjord populations) (Nyholmen and Hopkins, 1988).
The eggs are attached to coarse sand or gravel. In some cases thick