Title: The local population of shrimp (Pandalus borealis), stock size and age structure at Arnarfjordur, northwest Iceland

Pandalid shrimps constitute an important component of the Icelandic fisheries. This study was focused on the local shrimp stock in Arnarfjordur, northwest Iceland with the aim of estimating the stock size and identifying cohorts or year-classes that make up the fishery of this fjord. Data of autumn trawl surveys in the fjord from 1991 to 2000 were obtained from the Shrimp Research Department of the Marine Research Institute of Iceland for the study. The swept area method was used to estimate stock size. Carapace length of the shrimp was measured using the slide callipers. Year-classes were identified using the deviation method. The estimated stock size was almost three times the total allowable catch set for Arnarfjordur for the quota year 2000/2001. In terms of age composition, the stock lacks diversity with only two and sometimes three year-classes being prominent throughout the ten-year period.