Monthly variation of Antarctic krill biomass in a main fishing ground in the Bransfield strait based on fishing vessel acoustic data collected during routine fishing operations

With the recent development of techniques and protocols for the acquisition and processing of acoustic data collected aboard krill fishing vessels, a large volume of acoustic data accumulated by fishing vessels become usable. The acoustic data collected in a main fishing ground (or hotspot) in the Bransfield strait by one of the Chinese krill fishing vessel, namely F/V Fu Rong Hai, is used to demonstrate the seasonal dynamics of the krill stock in the hotspot. It shows that the monthly differences in krill biomass is so large that it cannot be explained solely by individual growth, and krill flux must have played an important role that need to be addressed in the future.