WG-EMM-07

The CCAMLR Ecosystem Monitoring Program (CEMP) uses indices derived from data on indicator species collected by standard methods in the three Integrated Study Regions of the Convention Area. Each year the Secretariat updates the standardised index values and provides a summary of trends and anomalies in these data. This report covers predator indices only. Data were submitted by 8 Members for Read More
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As reported to the CCAMLR Secretariat, 5 vessels from 3 Contracting Parties are fishing for krill in Area 48 in the 2006/07 season, and these vessels have taken 61876 t of krill to date. Two CCAMLR scientific observers have been deployed. The preliminary estimate of the total catch of krill for the season is approximately 111746 t. This compares with 106589 t of krill reported in the STATLANT Read More
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This paper summarises the notifications received from Members intending to participate in the krill fishery in Area 48 in the 2007/08 season.

A joint survey of the R/V Kaiyo Maru and the Japanese Whale Research Program under Special Permit in the Antarctic (JARPA) was carried out to study the interactions between oceanographic conditions, and the distribution of krill as prey and baleen whales as predators in the Ross Sea and its adjacent waters, Antarctica, in austral summer of 2004/05. Results indicated close interactions between Read More
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Penguins may exhibit plasticity in their diving and foraging behaviors in response to changes in prey availability. Chinstrap penguins are dependent predators of Antarctic krill in the Scotia Sea region. Both the sizes of krill found in penguin diets and acoustic estimates of krill biomass have fluctuated in recent years. We therefore examined the diet of chinstrap penguins at Livingston Read More
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An assessment of the environmental processes influencing variability in the recruitment and density of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba DANA) is important as variability in krill stocks affects the Antarctic marine ecosystem as a whole. Naganobu et al. (1999) had assessed variability in krill recruitment and density in the Antarctic Peninsula area with an environmental factor; strength of Read More
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There have been revealed possibilities for the long-term forecast of CPUE for the Antarctic krill (tones per hour) as the major indicator of its abundance and density of concentrations in the area of South Shetland and South Orkney Islands as well as South Georgia applying the following factors: average annual level of solar activity, speed of the Earth rotation and its derivatives. Mechanism Read More
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UK observers were present during all fishing operations of the Norwegian flagged Saga Sea from June 2006 to June 2007. This paper presents an initial analysis of the krill and fish bycatch sampled. Although a reasonably large number of continuous and conventional trawls were undertaken, the distribution of these trawls in time and space was not random. The vessel tended to fish with one trawl Read More
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The authors look «inside» SSMU by the example of SOW (South Orkney West) and SGW (South Georgia West), analysing variability of krill transport and distribution characteristics in the local areas of these SSMUs. The data of the Russian repeated acoustic survey accompanied by trawl and CTD samples form the basis of this work. It is shown that the multiple replacements of the water masses in Read More
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We report on the development of a mass balanced carbon-budget trophic model of the Ross Sea with which to investigate effects of the fishery for Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni). A survey of the available literature provided an initial set of parameters describing the abundance (seasonal and spatial where possible), energetics (growth, reproduction, consumption), and trophic linkages Read More
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Flesh tissue samples were collected by scientific observers on-board New Zealand fishing vessels during the 2005/06 season in the Ross Sea CCAMLR Subarea 88.1 in order to investigate trophic links between toothfish and demersal fish. Muscle samples were collected from: Antarctic toothfish TOA (Dissostichus mawsoni) n=142; Patagonian toothfish TOP (D. eleginoides) n=2; Whitson’s grenadier WGR ( Read More
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This paper briefly summarises deliberations of the predator survey correspondence group since 2006. In particular, some general principles for estimating predator demand are outlined, and draft terms of reference for a workshop in 2008 presented.

The relationship between Adélie penguins and ice is undeniable, with ice influencing penguin populations through a variety of processes operating at different spatial and temporal scales. The Smith et al. (1999) conceptual model of Adélie penguin population growth incorporates the relationship between sea-ice and penguin populations based on data from multiple sites to predict the likely Read More
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A preliminary analysis of the 32 reports submitted under the CCAMLR Scheme of International Observation revealed that there are a number of inconsistencies in the information being reported. Few reports have been submitted each year with a maximum of eight submitted in 2005. Very little information is reported from seasons other than winter. The areas being observed are heavily biased to Sub Read More
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At CCAMLR XXV Australia presented the results of the BROKE-West acoustic krill biomass survey. These were used by the Scientific Committee to recommend to the Commission a revised precautionary catch limit for krill in Statistical Division 58.4.2 of 1.49 million tonnes (up from 450 000 tonnes). During the Commission deliberations on this issue Australia noted that while the scientific data Read More
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Ecological risk management is increasingly being applied to marine fisheries worldwide as an aid to developing management strategies to avoid, mitigate, or manage adverse outcomes. Risk management encompasses four major steps: recognition of risk; assessment of risk; development of strategies to avoid, mitigate, manage or tolerate risk; and monitoring of risk. Here we begin the development of Read More
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This interim protocol has been developed in cooperation with our UK and Japanese colleagues/operators/observer coordinators in response to these recent requests by the CCAMLR Scientific Committee (SC-CAMLR 2006). The purpose of developing this protocol is to standardize the larval fish by-catch observation among observers and vessels so that we can later use it for quantitative analysis. The Read More
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The workload of the tasks required in the CCAMLR Observer manual is assessed. The total time needed for the minimum amount of daily routine tasks was well above the capacity that an observer to undertake. The manual must be structured as its entirety so that the observer, only by following instructions in the manual, can produce the report and logbook data which is collected systematically and Read More
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This paper outlines the difference in fishing patterns between regions (Subareas) and seasons by analyzing CPUE (catch per hour) patterns towards the end of their sets of operations before leaving a SSMU, as well as its timing of the day, diurnal pattern of CPUE and fishing depth. Vessels tend to move between SSMUs frequently in summer, especially in SSMUs in Subarea 48.1 mostly spending less Read More
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Net selection of the scientific RMT8 plankton net and a commercial sized pelagic trawl has been studied. Selection curves indicate that krill length classes smaller 20 mm are underrepresented in the RMT8. For the commercial trawl with a liner mesh size of 12mm the length classes smaller 35 and 45 mm are undersampled, probably depending on the size composition of the catch. A preliminary study Read More
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In Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba, sampled by a Japanese scientific observer onboard a krill fishing vessel in the winter of 2003 and 2006 in the South Georgia region, the Antarctic Ocean, approximately 2-5% of sub-samples of 100 krill bore small black spots. The black spots were most often found on the cephalothorax of the body. Three bacteria were isolated from these black spots, and Read More
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The total abundance of krill in the Scotia Sea was estimated from an international echosounder and net survey (CCAMLR 2000) to be 44.3 million metric tons (Mt; CV=11.4%), prompting the Antarctic Treaty's Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) to revise the precautionary catch level for krill in the area from 1.5 to 4 Mt (SC-CAMLR, 2000). By incorporating Read More
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Antarctic krill biomass trends in the South Shetland Island region of Area 48 are presented. Updated time series using the Stochastic Distorted Wave Born Approximation, and a dynamic ?Sv krill delineation model are used to derive krill biomass. This paper provides updated (through summer 2007), acoustic biomass estimates previously presented at the 2006 WG-EMM meeting in Namibia (WG-EMM-06/32 Read More
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A field key to early life stages of Antarctic fish caught along with the Antarctic krill is produced. The key includes 8 families and 28 species mainly from the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean and uses distinguished characters which permit rapid field identification. In some cases, however, it is impossible to discriminate among species of the same family by remarkable characters. A Read More
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Multifrequency echosounder data were collected during the 2006 BROKE-West summer survey of Division 58.4.2 for the purposes of estimating the unexploited biomass (B0) of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) and its associated coefficient of variance (CV). This paper updates the version submitted to WG-EMM in 2006 (WG-EMM-06/16) because a reanalysis of the data has resulted in amendments to the Read More
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During the 9th research cruise of the R/V Kaiyo-maru, macrozooplankton samples were collected from three layers between the surface and 200 m with RMT 8m2 along the three longitudinal lines in the Ross Sea and neighboring waters. Biomass and abundance (number of individuals) were 0 ~ 32.1 g/1000m3 and 1.8 ~ 2314.3 inds/1000m3 along 175°E line, 1.6 ~ 23.7 g/1000m3 and 226.4 ~ 3224.0 inds/1000m3 Read More
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Our tenth season of seabird research at Cape Shirreff allowed us to assess trends in penguin population size, as well as inter-annual variation in reproductive success, diet and foraging behavior. The gentoo breeding population has decreased marginally from the previous season and is the lowest population size in the 10 years of census data. The number of diet samples containing fish was the Read More
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Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba Dana, has a heterogeneous circumpolar distribution in the Southern Ocean. Krill have a close association with sea ice which provides access to a critical food source and shelter, particularly in the early life stages. Advective modelling of transport pathways of krill have until now been on regional scales and have not taken explicit account of sea ice. Here Read More
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Size and sex of Antarctic krill taken from chinstrap and gentoo penguin diet were compared to those from scientific net surveys in the South Shetland Islands from 1998-2006 in order to evaluate penguin diet as a sampling mechanism and to look at trends in krill populations. Both penguin diet and net samples revealed a 4-5 year cycle in krill recruitment with one or two strong cohorts Read More
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Frank, K.T. et al. (2007: Trends Ecol. Evol. 22, 236–242) provide interesting analysis, after compiling information from 19 subregions, on how the exploited shelf ecosystems of the North Atlantic are structured, either by predation (top down) or resource availability (bottom up), depending on their biodiversity and climate (cold vs warm). By the ecological ‘rules’ laid out, the Ross Sea should Read More
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Reported herein are observations of Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) feeding on Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni) in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, during 2001-2003 austral summers. In addition to past reports of isolated toothfish captures, the frequency of these observations and the quantity of toothfish captured lead us to suggest that this species is a significant prey item for Read More
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Antarctic krill has been studied for many decades, but we are still long way from understanding their biology to be able to make reliable predictions about the reaction of their populations to environmental change. This is partly due to certain difficulties in relation to logistics, operations and survey design associated with scientific surveys that have been obstacles for us to better Read More
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The size-differentiated sex ratio (proportion of males: POM) of Antarctic krill was examined with an extensive dataset derived from scientific surveys in the Indian Ocean sector and the southwest Atlantic sector, and from the krill fishery in the Southern Ocean. The percentage of males in size classes of adult krill was generally high in krill of 30-35 mm total length, always low in 38-42 mm Read More
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This paper is a published book chapter examining how goals and reference points might be set for higher trophic levels – such as marine mammals, birds and fish. It briefly explores the general characteristics of objectives for higher trophic levels within the context of ecosystem-based management, noting that the emphasis for managing the effects of human activities on higher trophic levels is Read More
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The Scotia Sea ecosystem is a major component of the circumpolar Southern Ocean system, where productivity and predator demand for prey are high. The eastward-flowing Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) and waters from the Weddell–Scotia Confluence dominate the physics of the Scotia Sea, leading to a strong advective flow, intense eddy activity and mixing. There is also strong seasonality, Read More
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Management of human impacts in the Antarctic requires an effective system of monitoring to provide information about the process being managed and the effectiveness of management actions. Human impacts arise as a result of processes that originate in the region (endogenous) and those that originate outside the region (exogenous). A number of monitoring programmes have been established in both Read More
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