Some biological characteristics of Antarctic fish stocks in the Elephant Island–South Shetland Island region in January–February 2002

Germany conducted a bottom trawl survey aboard RV ‘Polarstern’ around Elephant Island and the lower South Shetland Islands in January–February 2002 in close collaboration with the US Antarctic Marine Living Resources Program (AMLR). Length–weight relationships were similar in the two areas for those species for which an extended length range was covered (Chaenocephalus aceratus, Champsocephalus gunnari, Lepidonotothen larseni, L. squamifrons) but was more variable in species where the length range caught was limited as in Notothenia rossii or Chionodraco rastrospinosus. Information on gonado–somatic indices was provided for C. aceratus, C. gunnari, Chionodraco rastrospinosus, Cryodraco antarcticus, Notothenia coriiceps and Trematomus eulepidotus. Dietary studies demonstrated that C. gunnari fed on krill and to an unusually large extent on fish. C. aceratus up to 30 – 35 cm length took primarily krill and mysids. When they grew larger they likely became more sedentary and fed primarily on fish. C. rastrospinosus preyed primarily on krill and to a minor extent on fish. C. antarcticus took primarily fish.