Behaviour of Dissostichus eleginoides fitted with archival tags at Heard Island: preliminary results

Thirty nine Dissostichus eleginoides were released in the vicinity of Heard Island carrying archival tags in April 2002. Since then seven have been recaptured and the depth and temperature data they recorded is analysed here. Most of the fish had periods of active vertical movement alternating with periods of relative inactivity, loosely correlated with moon phase. The direction of vertical movement was influenced by the bottom topography, with fish on the relatively shallow plateau or in the bottom of a valley only moving upwards from their resting depth, while those on the intervening escarpment moved both upwards and downwards. Major vertical movements took place between 0500 and 1100 local time.