Have Antarctic toothfish returned to McMurdo Sound?
Details of Research
TitleHave Antarctic toothfish returned to McMurdo Sound?AbstractA dramatic reduction in catch rates of Antarctic toothfish in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, has led to conclusions that the commercial bottom longline fishery for toothfish in the Ross Sea has drastically altered the toothfish population with cascading effects on the McMurdo Sound ecosystem. However, results from a new monitoring programme for Antarctic toothfish and other top predators carried out in McMurdo Sound in 2014 have shown toothfish catch rate, fish size and fish age similar to those observed prior to 2002. These results suggest that either large and old fish have returned to McMurdo Sound following a temporary environmentally driven absence or that they remained locally present but were not detected in the areas sampled. These findings highlight the importance of continued standardized monitoring for detecting the potential effects of fishing on the Ross Sea ecosystem.AcknowledgementsThis project was funded by the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) through the University of Canterbury in contract ANT2014-02. We gratefully acknowledge the complex logistical support from Antarctica New Zealand and the US Antarctic Program to enable field work on the sea ice. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and MPI provided technical and permitting support (AMLR permit AMLR14/R04/Eisert/K070, 4 September 2014), and the project was developed through discussions within the Antarctic working group of the MPI. We thank the reviewers for their thoughtful and constructive comments which improved the manuscript.
TypeArticleCitationParker, S., Mormede, S., Devries, A., Hanchet, S. and Eisert, R. (2016). Have Antarctic toothfish returned to McMurdo Sound?. Antarctic Science, 28(1): 29-34 IdentifierParker2015Relevancerank5
Eisert, R., Have Antarctic toothfish returned to McMurdo Sound?, [Parker2015]. Antarctica NZ, accessed 14/02/2025, https://adam.antarcticanz.govt.nz/nodes/view/63711, 10.1017/S0954102015000450
