Spatial aggregation of harvesting in Subarea 48.1, in particular during the summer and close to the coast

We explore CCAMLR Catch and Effort data from the fishery for Antarctic krill for the period 1999/2000 to 2014/2015. We show that since 2013, both the number of hauls as well as the associated level of catch has increased in Subarea 48.1 during the penguin breeding season. We explore in detail, the fishing patterns in Subarea 48.1 during 2014/2015, showing that two areas of fishing aggregation took place, one in the Bransfield Strait and one in Hughes Bay, on the Danco Coast. The latter took place from 27 December until 28 May, over 153 days of elapsed time. During this period 4 vessels operated, collectively taking over 42,000 tonnes of krill from an area less than 30 km in diameter. The fishing aggregation comprised 3 periods of harvesting; catch rates per hour showed evidence of decline at the end of the first two periods, but were increasing at the end of the third period when the Subarea was closed having reached the Subarea trigger allocation. Though the collective catch comprised 27% of the Subarea trigger allocation, it is uncertain whether any ecological impact ensued, as there was no ecological or CEMP monitoring in the vicinity. We pose a number of questions, answers to which we believe will help WG-EMM in its deliberations related to the subdivision of harvesting and the prevention of impacts upon krill eating predators.