Fauna of the Prince Gustaf Adolf Sea

It is a small inter-island sea in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. It is part of the Arctic Ocean. It is bordered by three islands: Borden Island to the west, Mackenzie King Island to the east, and Ellef Ringnes Island to the south.

Otto Sverdrup named the sea during his 1902 expedition. Believing that he had reached the western boundary of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, he named the area east of Ellef Ringnes Island the Prince Gustav Adolf Sea after Prince Gustav Adolf, the future King Gustav VI Adolf and son of King Gustav V. He named the sea north of Ellef Ringnes after Gustav V.

Because of the constant cold weather, plant life here is scarce, and there are few animals. However, the local landscape remains in its original state. The area is mainly inhabited by seals, which are hunted by polar bears. Sometimes, species of whales such as narwhals and belugas swim into these waters. Invertebrates are scarce. The few species of fish include the cold-loving Rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax), Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), Blue ling (Molva dypterygia), Bering wolffish (Anarhichas orientalis), Saffron cod (Eleginus gracilis), Ninespine stickleback (Pungitius pungitius), Beaked redfish (Sebastes mentella), Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus), Blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou), Roughhead grenadier (Macrourus berglax).

The coastline and the area of the sea are poorly studied. Most of the year, the sea is covered in ice, making navigation difficult and preventing the development of sea routes. The Prince Gustaf Adolf Sea is uninhabited. There are no settlements or research stations; only the pristine, wild nature of the harsh north exists here. It is one of the few places on Earth where human influence is not felt.