Short note: By-catch of fishes caught by the krill fishing vessel Niitaka Maru in the South Georgia area (August 2007)

Scientific observation on the species composition and abundance of fishes incidentally caught during Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba DANA) fisheries by F/V Niitaka Maru (5200t) were made from 6 August to 30 August to the north of South Georgia Is. Among 87 net hauls quantitatively examined, by-catch fish was recognized in 26 trawl catches (29.9%) and only one fish was found as by-catch in 21 hauls. Among a total of 7 fish species, Myctophidae 3, Zoarcidae 1, Nototheniidae 1 and Channichthyidae 2, recognized, Krefftichthys anderssoni of Myctophidae occurred most frequently (38.5% of net hauls containing by-catch fish). Owing to the small amount of by-catch, no clear relationships between krill CPUE and fish by-catch could be confirmed in the present study.