Analysis of inter-vessel variability of krill length distribution in the catches obtained in the fishery in the Bransfield Strait (Subarea 48.1)

The inter-vessel variability of krill distribution in the catches obtained in the Bransfield Strait (SSMU APBSW and APBSE) in April and May 2014 and 2015 was analyzed. The presence of statistically significant differences in the krill length distributions from  catches obtained by the vessels operating in the fishing grounds with spatio-temporal overlapping is shown. At the same time, significant differences exist both for vessels using the same trawl fishing method and for vessels operating with different fishing methods. The inter-vessel variability of krill length in the catches is more pronounced with respect to the length distribution (content of young and large specimens), and to a lesser extent to discrepancies in the weighted mean length estimates per SSMU by month and vessel.