Fish by-catch in the krill fishery: 2017 update

Data on fish by-catch in the krill fishery from commercial catch data (100 153 hauls) and CCAMLR SISO data (20 766 hauls) up to 1 Sept 2017 was used to examine the frequency of occurrence, length-frequency distribution and geographic provenance of the key fish taxa reported. There is continued evidence of  an increase in the data quality from the observer scheme,  as well as an increase in the reporting of fish by-catch in the commercial krill fishery catch data. There was a high degree of overlap in the most frequently reported taxa in the C1 data and SISO data, with Lepidonothen larseni the most frequently reported in both datasets. The length-frequency distribution of all taxa for which >200 fish were measured had modal size class of ≤10 cm. The characteristics (species and size frequency) of fish taken as bycatch in the krill fishery are  consistent with those reported in the diet of ‘krill-dependent’ predators from the region in which the krill fishery operates.