Cephalopods in Greenland Waters. Technical Report No. 57

Greenland waters are inhabited by at least 15 species of cephalopods of which one, Gonatus 
fabricii, is most commonly caught. Due to its abundance and lipid content, it has previously 
been stated that this species could be of commercial interest. In Greenland approximately 800 
tons of squid are imported and used as bait in the long line and trap fishery for Greenland 
halibut (Rheinhardtius hippoglossoides) and snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio), respectively. There 
is no record of any commercial fishery on cephalopods in Greenland waters, but locally, the 
by-catch of squid in the shrimp fishery is kept and used as bait (Olsvig and Mosbech 2003). 
The highest concentrations of cephalopods as registered from bottom trawl survey, have 
been found in Disko Bay at depths of 400-600 m. G. fabricii is oceanic and adults live in midwater at depths ranging from 400 to 1100 m. The surveys are conducted with bottom trawls 
and only few investigations have been carried out at depth below 600 m. The true 
distribution of pelagic species as Gonatus sp. is thus expected to exceed findings in the 
surveys. 
The ecological importance of cephalopods in general and Gonatus sp. in particular is 
profound, since they constitute a significant element of the diet of fish, sea birds and marine 
mammals. An exploitation of the resource should respect the carrying capacity of the entire 
ecosystem.