The origin of sprat in Iceland

Sprat in different sizes. Photo: Svanhildur Egilsdóttir.

Earlier this year, the article "Where are you from? Finding the origin of the recently observed sprat in Iceland using a panel of SNPs" was published. The article is based on a collaboration between scientists at MFRI, Iceland, and IMR, Norway, see here. 

The study sheds light on the origin of the European sprat in Iceland. Sprat was first found in Icelandic waters in 2017 and is now common along the south and west coasts of the country. Analysis of SNP genetic markers in 64 samples collected in 2021 showed that the Icelandic sprat originates from the stock found in the North Sea and around the British Isles.

Likely that the species arrived via ship ballast water

Because adult sprat rarely migrate long distances, it is considered most likely that the species arrived here via ship ballast water, although it cannot be ruled out that pelagic eggs or larvae were carried by ocean currents from the British Isles or the Faroe Islands.

The distribution of sprat in Iceland continues to expand. During the autumn groundfish survey in 2025, sprat was found for the first time in inner Húnaflói, and in the spring groundfish survey in 2026, sprat was detected in Skagafjörður. However, it is not yet clear whether it will manage to establish itself in the north, as it has done in the area spanning from Southwest to Northwest Iceland.