Progress by WG-EMM-STAPP in estimating krill consumption by air-breathing predators within CCAMLR areas

This paper summarises progress by WG-EMM-STAPP in estimating krill consumption by air-breathing predators in CCAMLR management units. There have been significant advances in estimating krill consumption by pack-ice seals and penguins since the last update in 2011. Estimates of pack-ice seal abundance are now available for Areas 48, 88 and 58. Krill consumption by crabeater seals, the most important krill-consuming seal species, has been estimated in Areas 48 and 58. Large-scale estimates of breeding penguin abundance are now available for Areas 48, 88 and 58, and a large-scale estimate of non-breeder abundance is now available for Adélie penguins in Area 58. Parametising a bio-energetics model recently developed for breeding Adélie penguins to other species, to non-breeders, and to other regions will allow estimates of krill consumption by penguins to be developed in all Areas in the near future. Work to partition krill consumption by penguins into small-scale management units by developing foraging habitat models is well advanced.