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  • At-sea surveys of seabirds around South Georgia were undertaken during the austral winter (May to September) in 2010 and 2011. Surveys were conducted in set transects which covered areas primarily targeted by the krill industry, and as well as areas not normally fished. Surveys consisted of simultaneous recordings of seabirds and marine mammals on the surface of the water within a continuous 300m wide strip transect on one side of the vessel, and ''snapshots'' at 300m intervals. Species, positional, environmental and trip data were recorded for each survey. The aim of the project was to investigate the potential interactions between higher predators and the South Georgia krill fishery. These surveys were carried out as part of a wider Overseas Territories Environment Programme (OTEP; SGS701) funded project ''Identifying important and vulnerable marine areas for conservation at South Georgia.'' Phil Trathan (BAS) applied for this grant.

  • The Biological Investigations of Marine Antarctic Systems and Stocks (BIOMASS) Data Set has been created as part of the BIOMASS Programme directed towards deeper understanding of the ecology of the Southern Ocean, with emphasis on krill (Euphausia superba). Data were collected during 34 cruises through a collaboration by 12 countries during three field experiments. These were: the First International BIOMASS Experiment (FIBEX) from November 1980 to April 1981, the Second International BIOMASS Experiment (SIBEX), Part 1 from October 1983 to May 1984 and Part 2 from November 1984 to April 1985. Data were collected on krill distribution from acoustic surveys and krill population structure from net-hauls. Supporting data from ichthyoplankton net-hauls, oceanographic stations (temperature, salinity, nutrients and chlorophyll-a) and observations of sea-birds at sea were also collected. The BIOMASS Data Set is composed of 43 data files, extracted from the BIOMASS Oracle relational database created by the BIOMASS Data Centre that collated and standardised the data. The validation and correction of the data were carried out during data analysis workshops by the BIOMASS Programme scientists who collected the data. The majority of the BIOMASS data have been utilized during BIOMASS workshops. However, some have not been used and must be regarded as unvalidated. The documentation accompanying the BIOMASS data set lists the known problems and validation status of the data. Funding: The BIOMASS Data Set has been generated by the BIOMASS Data Centre funded by the British Antarctic Survey. Main sponsors of the BIOMASS Programme were the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) and the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) in collaboration with the International Association for Biological Oceanography and the Advisory Committee on Marine Resources Research of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN.

  • This dataset is referring to 1-year time series of particle flux, as measured by a shelf moored sediment traps (WCB) located in the Southern Ocean (northern Scotia Sea sector), a globally important region of atmospheric CO2 drawdown. This sector holds >50% of the circumpolar krill stock of Antarctic krill and is the geographic focus for the krill fishing industry. The dataset includes the specific contribution of krill components to the total C flux parameters (such as exuviae, faecal pellets and carcasses) within a period from January to December 2018. Values of krill seasonal standing stock estimated from krill standard lengths is also included in the dataset. The dataset allow the quantification of the relevant contribution of krill to the POC flux. Since abundance of Krill around South Georgia is environmentally influenced, the dataset highlights the sensitivity of POC flux to rapid regional environmental change.

  • Genetic profiling data relating to studies on Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba, that document the sequence of expression of genes over the moult cycle and the spatial-temporal expression of clock genes. This work was carried out to examine rhythmic behaviour patterns in this species - namely diel vertical migration and the moult cycle - and the functioning of the genes that underlie these behaviours. Circadian entrainment experiments were carried out twice during the Discovery 2010 summer cruise (cruise no JR177) using krill caught in nets at latitudes of 60S and 52S. Krill samples from each net were processed and preserved for subequent analysis using molecular biology technique to isolate canonical clock genes.