CCAMLR SCIENTIFIC ABSTRACTS 1997 Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources PO Box 213, North Hobart 7002, Tasmania, Australia Telephone – 61 3 6231 0366; Facsimile – 61 3 6234 9965 Email – [email protected] Website – www.ccamlr.org Copies of this publication are available from the CCAMLR Secretariat at the above address. Published in April 1999 PREFACE CCAMLR Scientific Abstracts provides a comprehensive record of all scientific papers presented for the consideration of the annual meetings of the CCAMLR Commission and Scientific Committee and of their subsidiary bodies. This volume contains abstracts of scientific papers presented in 1997. It corresponds to the Sixteenth Meetings of the CCAMLR Commission and Scientific Committee and is published only in English. There are four categories of papers: (i) scientific papers published elsewhere, for which the full reference and published abstract are given; (ii) scientific papers submitted for publication, i.e., in CCAMLR Science or elsewhere, which are listed as ‘submitted’ or ‘in press’ with details of the publisher, if known; (iii) scientific papers not intended for publication, which are listed as ‘unpublished’; and (iv) supplementary scientific papers (i.e., listing of data submitted, summary of analyses performed, etc.) not intended for publication, for which the title alone is listed. All abstracts are listed in groups by respective CCAMLR bodies at meetings of which these papers were submitted. Each abstract is preceded with a unique CCAMLR document number, e.g. SC-CAMLR-XII/BG/11 (background document number 11 submitted at the Twelfth Meeting of the Scientific Committee); or WG-EMM-96/8 (document number 8 submitted at the 1996 meeting of the Working Group on Ecosystem Monitoring and Management). Unpublished papers must not be cited without written permission of the author(s). Addresses of principal authors are given for this purpose. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstracts of papers submitted to the 1997 meetings of the: Commission ....................................................... 1 Scientific Committee................................................ 3 Working Group on Ecosystem Monitoring and Management (WG-EMM) Subgroup on Statistics............................................. 6 Working Group on Ecosystem Monitoring and Management (WG-EMM) ....................................... 7 Working Group on Fish Stock Assessment (WG-FSA)................. 29 Author Index ............................................................ 43 CCAMLR Scientific Abstracts, 1997 _________________________________________________________________________________________ counted, measured and classified by type, Commission material, weight and size. Logistical difficulties prevented a survey from being carried out at Cummings Cove in January. CCAMLR-XVI/BG/4 A total of 34 items weighing 1.61 kg were Beach Debris Survey – Main Bay, collected at Cummings Cove, 18 items Bird Island, South Georgia weighing 1.42 kg were found at Foca Cove 1995/96. R.I. Taylor and J.P. Croxall and six items weighing 0.68 kg were found (British Antarctic Survey, Natural at Starfish Cove. The total amount of Environment Research Council, High marine debris collected from the three Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, beaches was the lowest recorded since the CB3 0ET, United Kingdom), 17 pp. surveys began in 1990, both in terms of (English, unpublished). weight and number of items. This follows a The sixth year of surveys of beached continuing downward trend since 1993/94. man-made debris at Bird Island, South The proportion of plastic items found Georgia, revealed a total of 710 items, 2% remained high, accounting for 79% of all less than the record total of 725 items in items. Despite the ban on the use of 1994/95. However, whereas the total packaging bands aboard fishing vessels amount of debris collected during the winter which was brought into force by CCAMLR (April–September) was 40% lower than in in 1996, almost half (49%) of the plastic 1994/95, the number of items collected at items found at Signy were packaging the end of summer (March) was 75% bands. These had all been cut. Although greater than the previous year, which was the amount of debris collected at Signy itself an eight-fold increase over any earlier Island in 1996/97 was the lowest ever value. Nylon line, identical to that attached recorded, the considerable number of to longline gear, accounted for 77% of packaging bands still being washed ashore items, nearly all of which clearly originated indicates that CCAMLR Members must take from fishing vessels. The continuing high further steps to ensure that vessels are levels of man-made debris and the recent aware of, and comply with, regulations rapid increase in levels during summer, preventing the disposal of debris in the coinciding with increases in entanglement Southern Ocean. of Antarctic fur seals, is of growing concern. Furthermore, despite the CCAMLR-XVI/BG/10 CCAMLR ban on the use of packaging Beach debris surveys – South bands being in force during 1995/96, the Sandwich Islands. P. Convey and total number of packaging bands found A. Morton (British Antarctic Survey, ashore was the highest for many years, as Natural Environment Research Council, was the proportion of these which were High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge uncut. CCAMLR needs to take further steps CB3 0ET, United Kingdom), 10 pp. to counteract the current trend of increase in (English, unpublished). amounts of man-made debris being Beach debris surveys were carried out at jettisoned into the Southern Ocean. two sites in the South Sandwich Islands (CCAMLR Subarea 48.4) during the CCAMLR-XVI/BG/6 1996/97 austral summer. Two surveys of a Beach debris survey – Signy Island, northeast-facing beach (1 km length) at South Orkney Islands 1996/97. Demon Point, Candlemas Island were A.S. Lynnes and J.R. Shears (United made, separated by exactly one month, in Kingdom), 15 pp. (English, unpublished). January and February 1997. A single The seventh annual beach debris survey opportunistic survey of a west-facing beach was carried out at Signy Island, South (c. 200 m length) at Ollivant Point, Orkney Islands, during the 1996/97 austral Saunders Island, was made in late summer. Debris was cleared each month January 1997. Incidental observations between December and March from three were made on several other islands in the study beaches: Cummings Cove, Foca group. Only eight items were found in the Cove and Starfish Cove. The debris was initial survey of Demon Point, Candlemas _________________________________________________________________________________________ SC-CAMLR ___________________________________________________________________________ Island. However, during the subsequent fishery debris are not carried to the month, 26 further items of debris were archipelago from active fisheries around washed onto the beach. This rate of South Georgia and the South Orkney deposition is similar to, but at the lower end Islands. of, the range reported from beaches on Signy Island, South Orkney Islands, during CCAMLR-XVI/BG/22 the period from 1991 to 1996. At Ollivant Beached debris survey near the Point 57 items of debris were found, the Artigas Scientific Research Station, majority (70%) being pieces of driftwood 1997. Uruguay, 4 pp. (Spanish, unpub- which had probably been in situ for at least lished). several years. Many smaller types of debris are likely to have a short residence time on CCAMLR-XVI/BG/26 any beach in the South Sandwich Islands, Fishing industry pollution obser- due to their great exposure and instability, vations and associated marine and the uniformly heavy, often stormy, mammal entanglement records at swell. The majority of the items recovered South Georgia, Summer 1996/97. on Demon Point, Candlemas Island, were United Kingdom, 11 pp. (English, unpub- plastic or polystyrene (6 out of 8 items or lished). 75% of initial survey, 23 out of 26 items or From various locations on or near the 88% of second survey). Of the 29 such mainland of South Georgia 13 observations items, 12 were plastic bottles or containers of entanglement of marine mammals (one and 16 were whole or fragmented fishing southern elephant seal Mirounga leonina net floats (incidental observations indicated and 12 Antarctic fur seals Arctocephalus that net floats were present on many gazella) in anthropogenic debris were beaches in the archipelago). No fragments reported between November 1996 and of net or synthetic fishing line, or January 1997. Of the fur seals, five (42%) packaging bands, were noted on any beach were female (three adult, two juvenile) and visited in the archipelago. A single seven (58%) were male (one adult, six entangled female fur seal was freed from a juvenile); seven (58%) were entangled in fishing net on Candlemas Island, but no plastic packaging bands, three (25%) in other instances of entanglement or injury to trawl netting and two (17%) in synthetic fauna were noted. It was possible to rope. All entangling material probably identify the country of origin or manu- originated from fishing vessels. Marine facture of a small proportion of the debris. debris was collected from a 1-km stretch of Attributable items originated from Argentina beach on the south coast of South Georgia and Japan (two each), Chile and Russia from 24 to 26 December 1996. The photo- (one each). Despite the extremely remote graphs (originals in colour) illustrate the location of the South Sandwich Islands, diversity of debris, most clearly