Experimental acoustic survey of icefish resources in Subarea 48.3, 2005

This report describes the activities and preliminary results of the research carried out during January 2005 onboard the FPRV ‘Dorada’ by British Antarctic Survey (BAS) Scientists on behalf of UK authorities.
Survey Objectives
The primary objectives of the proposed survey were to:
• Refine methods for estimating icefish biomass using acoustics.
• Examine temporal changes in the vertical distribution of icefish.
• Assess precision of AUDOS estimates of crab density.
Secondary survey objectives were to:
• ‘Ground-truth ‘ AUDOS estimates of crab density using comparisons with bottom trawls.
• Provide more information on the distribution of the benthos on the South Georgia shelf.
• Monitor commercial fishing activity in the area