The actual area is inhabited by 28 fish species which are either on the Global Red List (8 species), or on the Norwegian Red List (25 species). Among these 13 are DD species, i.e. no scaled evaluation can be done because of lack of knowledge, but the species would probably be on the red list if adequate information had been available. When considering the marine fish species on red lists and threa...

The Barents Sea is inhabited by 21 species of sea mammals. Among these, 11 species are threatened according to the IUCN Red List, 15 are included in The Red Book of the Russian Federation (2001) and 8 extant species  are on the endangered species list of Norway (plus the recently extinct northern right whale stock). The anthropogenic factors that are thought to be most harmful for marine mammals a...

Several of the seabird populations in the Barents Sea region are of international importance. The most numerous species are the Brünnich´s guillemot Uria lomvia, little auk Alle alle, Atlantic puffin Fratercula arctica, black-legged kittiwake Rissa tridactyla, northern fulmar Fulmarus glacialis and common eider Somateria mollissima. An important part of the global breeding population of the rare I...

In recent decades, some species that may be considered to be both - introduced and invasive, have appeared in the Barents Sea. There are currently 15 of them.

These organisms entered the Barents Sea both in a natural way - through the expansion of habitat due to global warming, and as a result of human activities, related to the intentional or accidental introduction of alien organisms.