The snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) is a newly established species in the Barents Sea, increasing in both distribution and abundance in recent years. We explore the potential importance of North-east Arctic cod (Gadus morhua) predation in structuring the snow crab population expansion in the Barents Sea, through an analysis of cod stomach content data from 2003 to 2018. Spatio-temporal patterns of snow crab within cod diet are assessed across years, between seasons, as well as ontogenetic trends, including predator–prey size relationships. Snow crab represents a new prey item for cod and in recent years the most dominant demersal crustacean species in cod diet. The proportion of snow crab within cod diet increases over time. Primarily 60–110 cm cod prey upon snow crab, mainly during the summer/autumn season. Our results support the idea that the snow crab is still expanding, shifting distribution north and westwards. Cod has the potential to regulate the snow crab population but is unlikely to be in direct competition with the fishery in the Barents Sea. This work suggests that cod can be used as biological sampling tools together with other monitoring programmes to elucidate how new species may affect predator–prey and food-web dynamics within an ecosystem context.

中文翻译：

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雪蟹（Chionoecetes opilio），巴伦支海东北北极鳕鱼（Gadus morhua）的新食物

雪蟹（Chionoecetes opilio）是巴伦支海新建立的物种，近年来分布和丰度均有增加。我们探索东北北极鳕鱼的潜在重要性（Gadus morhua）通过分析 2003 年至 2018 年的鳕鱼胃含量数据，构建巴伦支海雪蟹种群扩张的捕食。跨年份、季节之间评估鳕鱼饮食中雪蟹的时空模式，以及个体发育趋势，包括捕食者-猎物大小关系。雪蟹是鳕鱼的新猎物，也是近年来鳕鱼饮食中最主要的底层甲壳类动物。鳕鱼饮食中雪蟹的比例随着时间的推移而增加。主要是 60-110 厘米的鳕鱼捕食雪蟹，主要是在夏季/秋季。我们的结果支持雪蟹仍在扩张，向北和向西转移分布的观点。鳕鱼具有调节雪蟹种群的潜力，但不太可能与巴伦支海的渔业直接竞争。