A krill net sampling survey was carried out west of the Antarctic Peninsula in January 2011 to collect data on krill distribution, abundance, demography, spawning and recruitment success. The survey was a joint German and US effort. While the US AMLR Survey section covered the area between Elephant Island and the western entrance of Bransfield Strait, the “Polarstern” survey grid followed back to back and extended southwest beyond Adelaide Island/Marguerite Bay. 177 quantitative net samples were taken and analyzed for post-larval and larval krill, Euphausia superba, as well as for salps, Salpa thompsoni.
The results of this survey represent the most complete picture of the spatial distribution of krill abundance, demography, and production on the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula conducted since the late 1980s.