Msc Assessment Report the Australian Antarctic Mackerel Icefish Fishery at Heard and Macdonald Islands

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Msc Assessment Report the Australian Antarctic Mackerel Icefish Fishery at Heard and Macdonald Islands DARFT FINAL REPORT V1 AUSTRALIA HIMI MACKEREL ICEFISH MSC ASSESSMENT REPORT THE AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC MACKEREL ICEFISH FISHERY AT HEARD AND MACDONALD ISLANDS Contract Number: SCS-MFCP-F-0071 Version: SCS_V4 Draft Final Report Date: 8 April 2005 Client: Austral Fisheries Accredited Certification Body: Scientific Certification Systems, Inc. Marine Fisheries Conservation Program 2000 Powell Street, Suite 1350 Emeryville, CA 94608, United States Assessment Team Dr. Chet Chaffee, Project Manager, SCS Dr. Trevor Ward, Greenward Consulting Dr. Norm Hall, Murdoch University Dr. Graeme Parkes, MRAG SCS DOCUMENT SCS_V4 DRAFT FINAL 1 DRAFT FINAL REPORT V4 AUSTRALIA HIMI MACKEREL ICEFISH Amendments Issued Since Original Draft Amd. No Date Description Of Amendment 1 12/04 Draft Report for Client Review 2 4/05 Draft Report for Peer Review and Public Comment 3 SCS DOCUMENT SCS_V4 DRAFT FINAL 2 DRAFT FINAL REPORT V4 AUSTRALIA HIMI MACKEREL ICEFISH TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................................5 1.1 THE FISHERY PROPOSED FOR ASSESSMENT ............................................................................................5 1.2 KEY ISSUES FOR THE ASSESSMENT .........................................................................................................6 2 THE AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC HIMI MACKEREL ICEFISH FISHERY.........................7 2.1 THE TARGET SPECIES.............................................................................................................................7 2.2 OVERVIEW OF FISHERY ..........................................................................................................................8 2.2.1 General Area of the Fishery.................................................................................................................8 2.2.2 Fishery Background..........................................................................................................................10 3 FISHERIES MANAGEMENT SYSTEM......................................................................................12 3.1 Organization........................................................................................................................................12 3.1.1 CCAMLR ..........................................................................................................................................12 3.1.2 AFMA................................................................................................................................................14 3.2 LEGAL STRUCTURE AND POLICY SETTING, ............................................................................................16 3.2.1 Legislation.........................................................................................................................................16 3.2.2 Management Policy ..........................................................................................................................16 3.3 Management Responsibilities.................................................................................................................18 3.4 Management Objectives....................................................................................................................18 3.5 MANAGEMENT MEASURES...................................................................................................................20 3.6 Compliance measures.......................................................................................................................22 4 HARVEST STRATEGIES......................................................................................................................23 5 PROCESSING AND TRANSHIPMENT.......................................................................................24 6 THE ASSESSMENT PROCESS.....................................................................................................24 6.1 EVALUATION TEAM..............................................................................................................................26 6.2 OTHER FISHERIES IN THE AREA AND SUMMARY OF PREVIOUS CERTIFICATION EVALUATIONS.................26 7.0 THE MSC EVALUATION PROCESS.........................................................................................26 7.1 MSC PRINCIPLES AND CRITERIA..........................................................................................................26 MSC PRINCIPLE 1......................................................................................................................................26 MSC PRINCIPLE 2......................................................................................................................................27 MSC PRINCIPLE 3......................................................................................................................................28 7.2 INTERPRETATION OF MSC PRINCIPLES FOR PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS ..........................................29 7.3 SUBMISSION OF DATA ON THE FISHERY................................................................................................31 8 ASSESSMENT TEAM MEETINGS AND INTERVIEWS.........................................................32 8.1 JUSTIFICATION FOR SELECTION OF ITEMS/PERSONS INSPECTED..............................................................32 8.2 FISHING INDUSTRY AND FISHERY MANAGEMENT MEETINGS..................................................................32 8.3 STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS AND INTERVIEWS .........................................................................................34 9 ASSESSMENT TEAM PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS .....................................................37 MSC PRINCIPLE 1......................................................................................................................................38 MSC PRINCIPLE 2......................................................................................................................................75 MSC PRINCIPLE 3........................................................................................................................................123 10 TRACKING, TRACING FISH AND FISH PRODUCTS..........................................................176 11 PEER REVIEW AND PUBLIC COMMENT.............................................................................177 SCS DOCUMENT SCS_V4 DRAFT FINAL 3 DRAFT FINAL REPORT V4 AUSTRALIA HIMI MACKEREL ICEFISH 12 CERTIFICATION RECOMMENDATION AND PERFORMANCE SCORES....................177 13 MEETING CONDITIONS FOR CONTINUED CERTIFICATION.......................................182 13.1 GENERAL CONDITIONS FOR CONTINUED CERTIFICATION ...................................................................183 13.2 SPECIFIC CONDITIONS FOR CONTINUED CERTIFICATION.....................................................................183 14 MSC LOGO LICENSING RESPONSIBILITIES......................................................................189 15 REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................................190 APPENDIX 1 – STAKEHOLDER COMMENTS.....................................................................................193 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................194 2. AN INTRODUCTION TO ECOSYSTEM-BASED MANAGEMENT (EBM) ........................................................195 3. TARGET FISHERY.....................................................................................................................................197 4. ECOSYSTEM ............................................................................................................................................198 5. FISHERY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS............................................................................................................203 SCS DOCUMENT SCS_V4 DRAFT FINAL 4 DRAFT FINAL REPORT V4 AUSTRALIA HIMI MACKEREL ICEFISH 1 INTRODUCTION The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the long- term protection or “sustainability” of marine fisheries and related habitats. First started as a joint initiative between Unilever and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the MSC is now a fully independent organization that is governed by an independent Board of Directors advised by a panel of scientific, economic, and fishery experts. The MSC’s original mission statement promoted responsible, environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable fisheries practices, as well as the maintenance of biodiversity, productivity and ecological processes of the marine environment. The current MSC mission statement (redrafted in 2001) provides a slightly more focused mission and reads, ³To safeguard the world¶s seafood supply by promoting the best environmental choice´. Dedicated to promoting “well-managed” or “sustainable” fisheries, the MSC initiative intends to identify such fisheries through means of independent third-party assessments and certification. Once certified, fisheries will be awarded the opportunity to utilize an MSC promoted eco-label to gain economic advantages in the marketplace. Through certification and eco-labelling, the MSC intends to promote and encourage better management of world fisheries, many of which have been suggested to suffer from poor
Recommended publications
  • Advance and Unedited Reporting Material for the Resumed Review
    Advance and unedited reporting material for the resumed Review Conference on the Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks (New York, 23-27 May 2016) (English only) Summary The present report has been prepared in response to the request made to the Secretary-General, in paragraph 41 of General Assembly resolution 69/109, to submit to the resumed Review Conference on the Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks (the Agreement) an updated comprehensive report, prepared in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), to assist the Conference in discharging its mandate under article 36, paragraph 2, of the Agreement. It is also based on information provided by States and regional fisheries management organizations and arrangements and other related bodies, in response to a questionnaire circulated in March 2015. The report provides an update of information contained in the reports of the Secretary-General to the Review Conference in 20061 and 2010. 2 1 A/CONF.210/2006/1. 2 A/CONF.210/2010/1. Contents Page Abbreviations .............................................................. I. Introduction................................................................ II. Overview of the status and trends of straddling fish stocks and highly migratory fish stocks, discrete high seas stocks and non-target, associated and dependent species ........................
    [Show full text]
  • Variations in the Diet Composition and Feeding Intensity of Mackerel Icefish Champsocephalus Gunnariat South Georgia (Antarctic)
    MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES Published May 12 Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. Variations in the diet composition and feeding intensity of mackerel icefish Champsocephalus gunnari at South Georgia (Antarctic) K.-H. Kock l, S. Wilhelms 2, I. Everson3, J. Groger 'Institut fiir Seefischerei, Bundesforschungsanstalt fur Fischerei, Palmaille 9, D-22767 Hamburg, Germany 'Deutsches Ozeanographisches Datenzentrum, Bundesamt fiir Seeschiffahrt und Hydrographie, Bernhard-Nocht StraOe, D-20359 Hamburg, Germany 3British Antarctic Survey, High Cross Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 OET. United Kingdom 41nstitut fur Ostseefischerei, Bundesforschungsanstalt fiir Fischerei, An der Jlgerbak 2, D-18069 Rostock, Germany ABSTRACT. The diet composition and feeding intensity of mackerel icefish Champsocephalus gunnari around Shag Rocks and the mainland of South Georgia was analyzed from ca 8700 stomachs collected in January/February 1985, January/February 1991 and January 1992. Main prey items were krill Euphausia superba, the amphipod hyperiid Themisto gaudrchaudii, mysids (primarily Antarctomysis maxima), and in 1985 also Thysanoessa species The proportion of krill and 7: gaudichaudii in the diet varied considerably among the 3 years, whereas the proportion of mysids in the diet rema~nedfairly constant. Krill appears to be the preferred food. In years of krill shortage, such as in 1991, krill was replaced by 7: gaudichaudii. The occurrence of krill in the diet in 1991 was among the lowest within a 28 yr period of investigation. Variation in food composition among sampling sites was high. This high variat~onappears to be primarily associated with differences in prey availability, but much less with prey size selectivity. Feeding intensity varied considerably among seasons. It was highest in 1992.
    [Show full text]
  • Age-Length Composition of Mackerel Icefish (Champsocephalus Gunnari, Perciformes, Notothenioidei, Channichthyidae) from Different Parts of the South Georgia Shelf
    CCAMLR Scieilce, Vol. 8 (2001): 133-146 AGE-LENGTH COMPOSITION OF MACKEREL ICEFISH (CHAMPSOCEPHALUS GUNNARI, PERCIFORMES, NOTOTHENIOIDEI, CHANNICHTHYIDAE) FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE SOUTH GEORGIA SHELF G.A. Frolkina AtlantNIRO 5 Dmitry Donskoy Street Kaliningrad 236000, Russia Email - atlantQbaltnet.ru Abstract Biostatistical data obtained by Soviet research and commercial vessels from 1970 to 1991 have been used to determine tlne age-length composition of mackerel icefish (Chnnzpsoceplzalus g~~izllnrl)from different parts of the South Georgia area. An analysis of the spatial distribution of C. giirzrznri size and age groups over the eastern, northern, western and soutlnern parts of tlne shelf, and near Shag Rocks, revealed a similar age-leingtl~composition for young fish inhabiting areas to the west of the island and near Shag Rocks. Differences were observed between those t~7ogroups and the easterin group. The larger number of mature fish in the west is related to the migration of maturing individuals from the eastern and western parts of the area. It is implied that part of tlne western group migrates towards Shag Rocks at the age of 2-3 years. It has been found that, by number, recruits represent the largest part of tlne population, whether a fishery is operating or not. As a result of this, as well as the species' ability to live not only in off- bottom, but also in pelagic waters, an earlier age of sexual maturity compared to other nototheniids, and favourable oceanographic conditions, the C. g~lrliznrl stock could potentially recover quickly from declines in stock size and inay become abundant in the area, as has bee11 demonstrated on several occasions in the 1970s and 1980s.
    [Show full text]
  • University of Groningen Frozen Desert Alive Flores, Hauke
    University of Groningen Frozen desert alive Flores, Hauke IMPORTANT NOTE: You are advised to consult the publisher's version (publisher's PDF) if you wish to cite from it. Please check the document version below. Document Version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Publication date: 2009 Link to publication in University of Groningen/UMCG research database Citation for published version (APA): Flores, H. (2009). Frozen desert alive: The role of sea ice for pelagic macrofauna and its predators. s.n. Copyright Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license (like Creative Commons). Take-down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Downloaded from the University of Groningen/UMCG research database (Pure): http://www.rug.nl/research/portal. For technical reasons the number of authors shown on this cover page is limited to 10 maximum. Download date: 26-09-2021 Sorting samples. In the foreground: Antarctic krill Euphausia superba. CHAPTER 2 Diet of two icefish species from the South Shetland Islands and Elephant Island, Champsocephalus gunnari and Chaenocephalus aceratus in 2001 ‐ 2003 Hauke Flores, Karl‐Herman Kock, Sunhild Wilhelms & Christopher D. Jones Abstract The summer diet of two species of icefishes (Channichthyidae) from the South Shetland Islands and Elephant Island, Champsocephalus gunnari and Chaenocephalus aceratus, was investigated from 2001 to 2003.
    [Show full text]
  • Connectivity and Molecular Ecology of Antarctic Fishes
    Chapter 5 Connectivity and Molecular Ecology of Antarctic Fishes Filip A. M. Volckaert, Jennifer Rock and Anton P. Van de Putte 5.1 Introduction The international program on Evolution and Biodiversity in the Antarctic (Anonymous 2005) focused on the influence of evolution and diversity of life on the properties and dynamics of the Southern Ocean (SO) biome. It also wanted to predict how communities and organisms respond to environmental change. A component of the program aimed at understanding micro-evolutionary processes and dynamics during the Pleistocene and Holocene. The past three million years have shaped the ‘‘shallow’’ evolution of genes, organisms and ecosystems through major climate changes and short period earth periodicities. Fish, a major source of ecosystem goods, play a key role in the ecosystem. However, it is only since relatively recently that the fish communities of the SO started to reveal their characteristics. Before summarizing the current understanding of their connec- tivity and molecular ecology, we introduce the reader to those aspects that have affected their recent evolution so much. F. A. M. Volckaert (&) Á A. P. Van de Putte Laboratory of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Genomics, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Charles Deberiotstraat 32, 3000 Leuven, Belgium e-mail: fi[email protected] J. Rock Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand e-mail: [email protected] A. P. Van de Putte Belgian Biodiversity Platform, Royal Belgian Institute for Natural Sciences, Vautierstraat 27, 1000 Brussels, Belgium e-mail: [email protected] G. di Prisco and C. Verde (eds.), Adaptation and Evolution in Marine Environments, 75 Volume 1, From Pole to Pole, DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-27352-0_5, Ó Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012 76 F.
    [Show full text]
  • ORGANIC CHEMICAL TOXICOLOGY of FISHES This Is Volume 33 in The
    ORGANIC CHEMICAL TOXICOLOGY OF FISHES This is Volume 33 in the FISH PHYSIOLOGY series Edited by Anthony P. Farrell and Colin J. Brauner Honorary Editors: William S. Hoar and David J. Randall A complete list of books in this series appears at the end of the volume ORGANIC CHEMICAL TOXICOLOGY OF FISHES Edited by KEITH B. TIERNEY Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton, Alberta Canada ANTHONY P. FARRELL Department of Zoology, and Faculty of Land and Food Systems The University of British Columbia Vancouver, British Columbia Canada COLIN J. BRAUNER Department of Zoology The University of British Columbia Vancouver, British Columbia Canada AMSTERDAM BOSTON HEIDELBERG LONDON NEW YORK OXFORD PARIS SAN DIEGO SAN FRANCISCO SINGAPORE SYDNEY TOKYO Academic Press is an imprint of Elsevier Academic Press is an imprint of Elsevier 32 Jamestown Road, London NW1 7BY, UK 225 Wyman Street, Waltham, MA 02451, USA 525 B Street, Suite 1800, San Diego, CA 92101-4495, USA Copyright r 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved The cover illustrates the diversity of effects an example synthetic organic water pollutant can have on fish. The chemical shown is 2,4-D, an herbicide that can be found in streams near urbanization and agriculture. The fish shown is one that can live in such streams: rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The effect shown on the left is the ability of 2,4-D (yellow line) to stimulate olfactory sensory neurons vs. control (black line) (measured as an electro- olfactogram; EOG). The effect shown on the right is the ability of 2,4-D to induce the expression of an egg yolk precursor protein (vitellogenin) in male fish.
    [Show full text]
  • Influence of Environmental Factors on Population Structure of Arrow Squid Nototodarus Gouldi: Implications for Stock Assessment
    INFLUENCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ON POPULATION STRUCTURE OF ARROW SQUID NOTOTODARUS GOULDI: IMPLICATIONS FOR STOCK ASSESSMENT COREY PAUL GREEN, BAPPSC (FISHERIES) SUBMITTED IN FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF TASMANIA OCTOBER 2011 Arrow squid Nototodarus gouldi (McCoy, 1888) (Courtesy of Robert Ingpen, 1974) FRONTISPIECE DECLARATION STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY This thesis contains no material which has been accepted for a degree or diploma by the University or any other institution, except by way of background information and duly acknowledged in the thesis, and to the best of the my knowledge and belief no material previously published or written by another person except where due acknowledgement is made in the text of the thesis, nor does the thesis contain any material that infringes copyright. ………………………………………….…. 28th October 2011 Corey Paul Green Date AUTHORITY OF ACCESS This thesis may be made available for loan and limited copying in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968. ………………………………………….…. 28th October 2011 Corey Paul Green Date I ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis assisted in fulfilling the objectives of the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation Project No. 2006/012 ―Arrow squid — stock variability, fishing techniques, trophic linkages — facing the challenges‖. Without such assistance this thesis would not have come to fruition. Research on statolith element composition was kindly funded by the Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment (HWRE), and provided much information on arrow squid lifecycles. The University of Tasmania (UTAS), the Victorian Marine Science Consortium (VMSC) and the Department of Primary Industries — Fisheries Victoria, assisted in providing laboratories, desks and utilities, as well as offering a wonderful and inviting working environment.
    [Show full text]
  • Foraging Ecology and Diving Behaviour of Macaroni Penguins 27
    1998 Green et al.: Foraging ecology and diving behaviour of Macaroni Penguins 27 FORAGING ECOLOGY AND DIVING BEHAVIOUR OF MACARONI PENGUINS EUDYPTES CHRYSOLOPHUS AT HEARD ISLAND K. GREEN 1,2, R. WILLIAMS 1 & M.G. GREEN 2 1Antarctic Division, Channel Highway, Kingston, Tasmania 7050, Australia 2Current address: National Parks and Wildlife Service, Snowy Mountains Region, PO Box 2228, Jindabyne, New South Wales 2627, Australia ([email protected]) Received 7 May 1997, accepted 6 June 1998 SUMMARY GREEN, K., WILLIAMS, R. & GREEN, M.G. 1998. Foraging ecology and diving behaviour of Macaroni Penguins Eudyptes chrysolophus at Heard Island. Marine Ornithology 26: 27–34. Over the chick-rearing period, Macaroni Penguins Eudyptes chrysolophus foraged to the north-east of Heard Island within an approximate 300-km radius, feeding mainly on euphausiids and fish. As the season progressed, the amount of euphausiids in the diet declined by 93% with the diet becoming almost totally composed of the myctophid fish Krefftichthys anderssoni. Penguins foraged mainly on the Heard Island shelf area (seas shallower than 1000 m). Penguin dive profiles were complex, unlike the simple ‘V’ shaped dives recorded elsewhere. Diving was mainly between dawn and dusk to depths of 10–60 m, and the deepest dives were undertaken during daylight hours. The connection between the observed diving patterns and the diet was difficult to elucidate because K. anderssoni only migrates vertically into surface waters at night and is believed to be out of the penguins’ diving range during the day. INTRODUCTION METHODS Macaroni Penguins Eudyptes chrysolophus on Heard and Diet McDonald Islands are thought to number about two million breeding pairs (Woehler 1991).
    [Show full text]
  • The Kerguelen Islands Fisheries and Their Resource Species
    Fisheries catch reconstructions: Islands, Part II. Harper and Zeller 15 A BRIEF HISTORY OF FISHING IN THE KERGUELEN ISLANDS, FRANCE1 M.L.D. Palomares and D. Pauly Sea Around Us Project, Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia, 2204 Main Mall, Vancouver, V6T1Z4, Canada [email protected]; [email protected] ABSTRACT Catch statistics from around the (uninhabited) Kerguelen Islands, which are part of the French Antarctic and sub-Antarctic Territories, and where distant-water fisheries began in 1970, were obtained from the CCAMLR (Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources) Statistical Bulletin (Area 58.5.1) and complemented by statistics reported through the French KERPECHE program. Catches originally expressed by fishing seasons were re-expressed as calendar years, which results in a slight between-season smoothing. These catches show a general decline over a 30 year-period and an expansion of the longline fishery to deeper waters in the last 10 years. INTRODUCTION The Kerguelen Islands The Kerguelen Islands (49°30‘S, 69°30‘E) are part of the French Antarctic and sub-Antarctic Territories, which also include the islands of Crozet, Amsterdam and St. Paul, and the Antarctic district of Terre Adélie (www.taaf.fr). They consist of a main island called ‗La Grande Terre‘ (6,700 km2) and a number of smaller surrounding islets. Kerguelen Island sits in the middle of the combined shelf of the Kerguelen and Heard Islands (Australia), known as the Kerguelen Plateau, which covers an area of 100,500 km2 above 500 m depth (Pruvost et al., 2005: see Figure 1).
    [Show full text]
  • South Georgia Icefish Pelagic Trawl
    MSC SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES CERTIFICATION South Georgia Icefish Pelagic Trawl Final Report May 2016 Prepared For: Polar Ltd Prepared By: Acoura Marine Ltd. Acoura Marine Final Report South Georgia Icefish Pelagic Trawl Final Report May 2016 Authors: Andy Hough, Jim Andrews, Graham Piling Certification Body: Client: Acoura Marine Polar Ltd Address: Address: 6 Redheughs Rigg 37 Fitzroy Road Edinburgh PO Box 215 EH12 9DQ Stanley Scotland, UK Falkland Islands Name: Fisheries Department Name: Alex Reid Tel: +44(0) 131 335 6601 Tel: +500 22669 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Web: www.Acoura.com version 3.0(24/03/15) Acoura Marine Final Report South Georgia Icefish Pelagic Trawl Contents 1 Executive Summary ....................................................................................................... 6 2 Authorship and Peer Reviewers ..................................................................................... 8 2.1 Assessment Team .................................................................................................. 8 2.2 Peer Reviewers ...................................................................................................... 9 3 Description of the Fishery ............................................................................................ 11 3.1 Unit(s) of Assessment (UoA) and Scope of Certification Sought ........................... 11 3.1.1 UoA and Proposed Unit of Certification (UoC) ............................................... 11 3.1.2 Final UoC(s)..................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Age Determination in the Icefish Pseudochaenichthys Georgianus (Channichthyidae) Based on Multiple Methods Using Otoliths
    Vol. 30: 1–18, 2021 AQUATIC BIOLOGY Published January 14 https://doi.org/10.3354/ab00736 Aquat Biol OPEN ACCESS Age determination in the icefish Pseudochaenichthys georgianus (Channichthyidae) based on multiple methods using otoliths Ryszard Traczyk1, Victor Benno Meyer-Rochow2,3,*, Robert M. Hughes4,5 1University of Gdańsk, Department of Oceanography and Geography, 81-378 Gdynia, Poland 2Department of Ecology and Genetics, Oulu University, 90140 Oulu, Finland 3Agricultural Science and Technology Research Institute, Andong National University, Andong 36729, Republic of Korea 4Amnis Opes Institute, Corvallis, Oregon 97333, USA 5Department of Fisheries & Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, USA ABSTRACT: Aging Antarctic icefish is difficult because of their lack of scales and poorly calcified bones. Icefish ages must therefore be estimated from otoliths. We describe a method of reading daily micro-increments in connection with shape, size and mass analyses of the otoliths of the South Georgia icefish Pseudochaenichthys georgianus. Changes in otolith morphology and mass correlate with fish size and age group. The otolith micro-increment analysis is capable of estab- lishing the age of an icefish by relating the daily micro-increment count to the life history of the fish. Micro-increment measurements and analyses are relatively simple to do by light and scan- ning electron microscopy and by using micro-densitometer and digitizing equipment. Drastic changes in the life history of an individual are reflected by measurable changes in its otolith micro- increment data as seen in our analyses of age groups 0−VI. The initial drastic change in daily micro-increment shapes and periodicities occur in connection with the hatching period of the ice- fish.
    [Show full text]
  • Download/18.8620Dc61698d96b1904a2/1554132043883/SRC Report%20Nordic%20Food%20Systems.Pdf (Accessed on 1 October 2019)
    foods Article Mesopelagic Species and Their Potential Contribution to Food and Feed Security—A Case Study from Norway Anita R. Alvheim, Marian Kjellevold , Espen Strand, Monica Sanden and Martin Wiech * Institute of Marine Research, P.O. Box 1870, Nordnes, NO-5817 Bergen, Norway; [email protected] (A.R.A.); [email protected] (M.K.); [email protected] (E.S.); [email protected] (M.S.) * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +47-451-59-792 Received: 7 February 2020; Accepted: 11 March 2020; Published: 16 March 2020 Abstract: The projected increase in global population will demand a major increase in global food production. There is a need for more biomass from the ocean as future food and feed, preferentially from lower trophic levels. In this study, we estimated the mesopelagic biomass in three Norwegian fjords. We analyzed the nutrient composition in six of the most abundant mesopelagic species and evaluated their potential contribution to food and feed security. The six species make up a large part of the mesopelagic biomass in deep Norwegian fjords. Several of the analyzed mesopelagic species, especially the fish species Benthosema glaciale and Maurolicus muelleri, were nutrient dense, containing a high level of vitamin A1, calcium, selenium, iodine, eicopentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and cetoleic acid. We were able to show that mesopelagic species, whose genus or family are found to be widespread and numerous around the globe, are nutrient dense sources of micronutrients and marine-based ingredients and may contribute significantly to global food and feed security. Keywords: mesopelagic; nutrients; Benthosema glaciale; Maurolicus muelleri; trace elements; minerals; fatty acids; vitamin A; vitamin D 1.
    [Show full text]