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US AMLR data sets - Finfishes and Benthic Invertebrates. Periodic surveys of finfish and benthic invertebrates: 6 AMLR demersal surveys from 1998-2009. Data from two CCAMLR Subareas: 48.1 & 48.2. South Shetland Islands (Subarea 48.1) 1998, 2001, 2003 Antarctic Peninsula (Subarea 48.1) 2006
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US AMLR data sets - Finfishes and Benthic Invertebrates Periodic surveys of finfish and benthic invertebrates: 6 AMLR demersal surveys from 1998-2009 Data from two CCAMLR Subareas: 48.1 & 48.2 South Shetland Islands (Subarea 48.1) 1998, 2001, 2003 Antarctic Peninsula (Subarea 48.1) 2006 South Orkney Islands (Subarea 48.2) 1999, 2009 AMLR finfish survey databases reside here and at the CCAMLR Secretariat
Data Collection: Finfish • Species identification: ~60 species of finfish • Length, weight, sex & maturity • Stomach content analysis (composition, filling degree, degree of digestion) • Physiological measurements • Environmental variables • Material retained: • Whole specimens (835 specimens of 70 species) • Otoliths & hard parts (2583, of 21 species) • Tissue biopsies and DNA (>2000) • - Gonads (265 of 12 species)
Data Collection: Invertebrate and Other • Benthic invertebrate characterization • 61 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) at sea • 18 taxa provisionally recognized by CCAMLR to indicate the presence of a Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem (VME) – number may increase • Invertebrate specimens retained (over 2500 specimens of at least 500 species) • High resolution video and photo transects • Krill density (acoustic & net sampling) • CTD • Seabed classification
Uses of AMLR Demersal/Benthic Survey Data • Characterize Antarctic demersal finfish in the Southern Scotia Arc region: • - abundance - biology • - composition - ecology • - spatial distribution - evolutionary phylogeny • - physiology - taxonomy • Characterize epibenthic invertebrate megafauna: • - abundance - composition • - spatial distribution - detection of vulnerable • - new species marine ecosystems (VMEs) • - bioregionalization - evolutionary phylogeny • - taxonomy - reproduction
Uniqueness of AMLR Demersal/Benthic Data • Most comprehensive dataset for demersal fishes in the Southern Scotia Arc (Subarea 48.1 & 48.2), only scientific survey conducted along the Antarctic Peninsula • Most comprehensive datasets of dietary components of demersal finfish in the Southern Scotia Arc • Only comprehensive dataset of composition and spatial distribution of benthic invertebrate megafauna in the Southern Scotia Arc • Only datasets available that capture properties of abundance and distribution of demersal finfish, their prey, and habitat characteristics