Patterns in the distribution of myctophid fish in the northern Scotia Sea ecosystem |
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Authors: | Martin A Collins Jose C Xavier Nadine M Johnston Anthony W North Peter Enderlein Geraint A Tarling Claire M Waluda Elizabeth J Hawker Nathan J Cunningham |
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Institution: | (1) British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK;(2) Present address: Centre for Marine Sciences, University of the Algarve, Faculty of Marine and Environmental Science, Campus of Gambelas, 8000 139 Faro, Portugal |
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Abstract: | The mesopelagic fish community of the northern Scotia Sea was investigated during the austral autumn using multi-frequency
acoustics, opening and closing nets and pelagic trawls fished from the surface to 1,000 m. The Family Myctophidae (15 species
in 5 genera) dominated the ichthyofauna, with larval notothenids caught over the South Georgia shelf and bathylagids and stomiids
abundant in deeper hauls. The biomass of myctophids was estimated to be 2.93 g wet weight 1,000 m−3, with Electrona carlsbergi, E. antarctica, Protomyctophum bolini, P. choriodon, Gymnoscopelus braueri, G. fraseri, G. nicholsi and Krefftichthys anderssoni, being the most abundant species. Analysis of community structure indicated a high level of depth stratification within the
myctophids, with evidence of diurnal vertical migration in some, but not all, species. Length-frequencies of G. braueri, G. nicholsi, E. antarctica and K. anderssoni were multimodal, suggesting that all life stages may be present in the northern Scotia Sea. In contrast, P. choriodon, P. bolini, G. fraseri and E. carlsbergi had unimodal distributions despite having multi-year lifecycles, indicating that they probably migrate into the region from
warmer areas to the north. |
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Keywords: | Electrona Krefftichthys Protomyctophum Gymnoscopelus Vertical migration South Georgia |
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