CCAMLR

The accuracy of correction factors estimated to compensate the digestion and loss through the gastrointestinal tract of the otoliths of fish represented in pellets of the Antarctic Shag Phalacrocorax bransfieldensis was tested at two localities of the South Shetland Islands. F or such purpose, the results from the analysis of 226 and 115 pellets collected at Harmony Point and at Duthoit Point, respectively, throughout the breeding season were compensated with the mentioned factors. The estimations indicated that the daily food intake increased from November to January (pre-laying to late-rearing) and slightly decreased in February. These estimations, in general, are in line with those previously obtained for other colonies and/or shags by different methods, which suggests that the use pellets is an acceptable method to quantify the diet of the Antarctic Shag.

The diet of juvenile and non-breeding male Antarctic fur seals Arctocephalus gazella was investigated at Harmony Point, Nelson Island, South Shetland Islands, by the analysis of 18 and 33 scats collected during the 1995/96 and 1996/97 summer seasons respectively. Overall, fish were the most frequent prey (74,5%) and predominated by mass (54,4%), whereas krill did by number (94.2%). This pattern coincides well with the observed in 1996/97, but in 1995/96 krill was the most important prey also by mass (50.2%). The importance of the remaining taxa represented in the samples (octopods, hyperiids and bivalves) was negligible. Among fish, Myctophiids represented 85 .2% of the fish mass, being Gymnoscopelus nicholsi and Electrona antarctica the main prey. These two species also predominated in 1996/97, whereas Cryodraco antarcticus and Gobionotothen gibberifrons did in 1995/96. The importance of the Myctophiids as prey of the Antarctic fur seal is discussed.

The diet of the Antarctic petrel Thalassoica antarctica was studied during two years at Svarthamaren, an inland colony situated in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica and in the pack-ice outside Svarthamaren. The analyses showed that the most important food (wet weight) at Svarthamaren was Crustaceans (68%), followed by fish (29%) and squid (3%), whereas individuals collected in the pack ice took mostly fish (95%), followed by Crustaceans (5%). The prey composition and length found in this study is comparable to what is found in other diet studies. Estimates of food consumption for birds breeding at Svarthamaren (c. 250,000 pairs) indicate that the take approximately 6,600 tons of Crustaceans, 2,600 tons of fish and 485 tons of squid during the breeding season. Furthermore, their annual consumption is estimated to 34,800 tons of Crustaceans, 13,800 tons of fish, and 2,600 tons of squid. Satellite telemetry studies indicate at Antarctic petrels from Svarthamaren may fly more than 3,000 km during one foraging trip and may thus, cover a huge ocean area.

A study on the breeding biology and diet of Pintado Petrels Daption capense was conducted at Nyrøysa, Bouvetøya, South Atlantic, from December 1996 to February 1997. Overall breeding success for the total 300 pairs of breeding Pintado Petrels at Nyrøysa was 59 %. Three study colonies were marked out and monitored intensively; in one colony overall breeding success was only 4 % owing to predation by Sub-Antarctic Skuas Catharacta antarctica on unattended chicks, but in another colony success was 85 %. Rates of failure were higher during the chick stage than in the egg stage for both of these two study colonies. The mean hatching date in these colonies was 11 January, and the first and last hatching 6 and 18 January respectively. The mean period for which chicks were permanently attended by parents (guard period) was 14 days. The length of the guard period was negatively related to the date of hatching (expressed as the number of days passed since the first egg had hatched i.e. 6 January). Growth of chicks in the third study colony was similar to that recorded for other populations of Pintado Petrel, as was the diet of chick-rearing adults - dominated by euphasiids, especially krill Euphausia superba. Whole female krill occurred more frequently than male krill in the diets of chick-rearing Pintado Petrels at Nyrøysa, and were larger. It is estimated that during the nestling stage the entire Bouvet0ya population of Pintado Petrel chicks consumes 6 500kg krill.

Acoustic surveys in the vicinity of the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia revealed the existence of a number of horizontally extensive yet vertically discrete scattering layers in the upper 250 m of the water column. These layers were fished with a LonghurstHardy plankton recorder (LHPR) and a multiple-opening 8 m2 rectangular mid-water trawl (RMT8). Analysis of catches suggested that each scattering layer was composed predominantly of a single species of either the euphausiids Euphausia frigida or Thysanöessa macrura, the hyperiid amphipod Themisto gaudichaudii, or the eucalaniid copepod Rhincalanus gigas. Instrumentation on the nets allowed their trajectories to be reconstructed precisely, and thus catch data to be related directly to the corresponding acoustic signals. Discriminant function analysis of differences between mean volume backscattering strength at 38, 120 and 200 kHz separated echoes originating from each of the dominant scattering layers, and other signals identified as originating from Antarctic krill Euphausia superba, with an overall correct classification rate of 77%. We therefore demonstrate that with the use of echo intensity data alone, gathered using hardware commonly employed for fishery acoustics, it is possible to discriminate in situ between several zooplanktonic taxa, taxa which in some instances exhibit similar gross morphological characteristics and have overlapping length-frequency distributions. Acoustic signals from the mysid Antarctomysis maxima could additionally be discriminated once information on target distribution was considered, highlighting the value of incorporating multiple descriptors of echo characteristics into signal identification procedures. The ability to discriminate acoustically between zooplankton taxa could usefully be applied to provide improved acoustic estimates of species abundance, and to enhance field studies of zooplankton ecology, distribution and species interactions.

The paper, based on the results of italian expeditions to the Ross Sea (December 1989 - Januar 1990 and November - December 1994), presents how is spatial and temporal distribution of krill biomass and what is its value. The hydroacoustic observations were done in the time when investigated area was pratically covered by pack ice (November - mid December) or immediately after ice had receded (end December - January). The process of ice melting began in mid November, near Ross Ice Shelf (so called polynia area) and moved towards North. All the time daytime was prevaled. Krill in aggregations both below ice and in ice free water was observed but below ice were rather single ones. Because in the same time, many times, on the pieces of ices broke up by icebreaker, individuals of krill were observed, it can be supposed that below ice krill occurred mainly in scattered forms very close to surface. Aggregations of krill mainly in the part of Ross Sea between 70° and 75° S but in November and beginning of December closer to 75° S while in the end of December and January closer to 70° S were observed. It can suggested that temporally krill migrated horizontally towards North, parallely to receding of ice cover. It is also possible that part of observed aggregations were not migrated ones but created from krill scattered previously below ice.
Biomass density of krill was calculated per each nautical mile. For comparison the biomass from different years, the whole investigated area was divided in rectangles of 1°x30' .
The results of calculations indicate that biomass of krill in the western part of the Ross Sea (east of longitude 180°), estimated during late spring and at the beginning of the austral summer in 1994 was about 3 min. tons. The investigated area was approximately 30000 nm2 and the mean biomass density about 100 Unm2 . The highest value of biomass density (51761 t/nm2 ) was found the 23 November 1994 at position 174° 59' E, 74° 36' S where a so called superswarm was observed. In November 1994 the investigated area in 80-100% was covered by ice. The above mentioned superswarm was recorded in a small area of ice free water. It can be supposed that below ice krill occurred mainly in scattered forms (as mentioned above) and when the environmental conditions are favorable the coherent forms of aggregation can be formed very quickly.
During the 1989/'90 expedition hydroacoustic observations were done at the end of December and in January in ice-free water. During the first part of echo survey (in the end of December and at beginning of January) in an area of 13000 nm2 a total biomass of 426 thousand tons was estimated (mean biomass density around 32 t/nm2 ). During the second part of echosurvey (January) in an area of about 22000 nm2 the estimated biomass was 847 thousand tons ( mean biomass density around 39 t/nm2 ) . The highest value of biomass density (1041 t/nm2 ) was found in January at position 175° 40' E, 70° 45' S. The results of the italian expeditions indicate that biomass density of E. superba in the Ross Sea (Pacific Sector), contrary to previous opinions, is similar to the ones calculated in Atlantic and Indian Sectors.

Accurate estimation of krill biomass by acoustic techniques is dependant upon a number of factors including, fundamentally, accurate echo-sounder calibration. The Simrad EK500 scientific echo-sounder used aboard RRS James Clark Ross is regularly calibrated at South Georgia before and after krill surveys, and exhibits acceptable temporal stability in system gain settings. Between Antarctic seasons, this echo-sounder has additionally been calibrated in temperate European waters and, under these conditions, calibrated gain settings differ markedly from those applied in the Antarctic, even after appropriate adjustments for differences in sound speed between locations have been made. Here we present results from multiple Antarctic and European calibration events which suggest that echo-sounder transducer performance is dependant upon ambient water temperature. Highly significant differences in Sv and TS transducer gains were detected at both 38 and 120 kHz between calibrations conducted at the two locations. At 120 kHz, required Sv transducer gains were on average 1.4 dB less at South Georgia (sea temperature 2.0 °C) than in European waters (7.3 °C), and a similar trend was detected at 38 kHz. If European calibration parameters were to be employed on survey around South Georgia, and no account were taken of the differences in gain settings, then integrated 120 kHz echo signals would be under-reported by 2.8 dB, leading in turn to an under-estimation of krill biomass by 52.5 %. Every effort should therefore be made to ensure that echo-sounders are calibrated at a location as close as possible to the area in which surveys are to be conducted. In addition, the implications of temperature variation across a survey area for biomass estimation should be considered carefully.