H-36 



RESEARCH PROGRAMMES 



1 . Stock separation and evaluation of gross potential of fish resources. 



2. Development of systems for monitoring stocks that are or may become exploited. 



3. To provide estimates of population parameters for models of fish population 

 dynamics. 



4. To undertake biological studies to refine the models mentioned in Objective 3 and to 

 improve estimates of yield. 



5. To develop methods for understanding, monitoring and predicting the effects of 

 fisheries' exploitation on other elements of the ecosystem. 



2.6.3 Research programmes 



The following specific programmes are proposed in order to achieve the above objectives: 



1. Catch and effort statistics should be collected and inspected, a task which ought to be 

 the responsibility of the government of any nation engaged in commercial fishing. The 

 statistical areas should follow FAO standards. 



2. Exchange programmes for age determination should be carried out. 



3. Regular sampling for length (and, where possible, age) should be made from commercial 

 catches. For this purpose, the length measurement used should be standardized, and 

 the recording of total length, to the nearest centimetre below, is recommended. 

 Efforts should also be made to collect information on the age structure (and failing 

 this, size structure) of stocks of fish that have not yet been subjected to significant 

 exploitation. This information should provide a unique opportunity for estimating 

 natural mortaUty. 



4. Data should be collected on the food of fishes (particularly commercial fishes) and of 

 the principal predators, so as to quantify the predator-prey relationships which are 

 important for trophodynamic studies. 



5. Sampling of fish should be extended in areas and time as far as possible (including the 

 use of non-commercial gear) so as to provide better information on distribution, stock 

 separation, reproductive behaviour, possible movements and seasonal abundance. 

 Shore stations could play an important role in this respect, and in particular morpho- 

 logical and electrophoretic techniques should be used. In addition, such sampling 

 will facilitate studies of reproduction and other aspects of the life history which are 

 important for refining population models. 



2.7 Cephalopods 



2.7.1 Introduction 



Cephalopods (squids and octopuses) are known to be important organisms in the trophic 

 structure of the Antarctic ecosystem; they constitute significant portions in the diets of Sperm 

 Whales, seals, penguins, pelagic birds, and fishes (see Section 2.5, Tables 1 and 2). However, it is 

 possible that they could be less abundant in the Antarctic than in the sub-Antarctic area. 



The highly evolved nervous system of the cephalopods allows them to be aggressive, 

 fast-swimming predators. This characteristic, unique among invertebrates, makes them 

 behaviourly comparable to many large predatory vertebrates. Knowledge about their biology 

 and, indeed, about their species composition, is almost completely lacking, due primarily to the 

 strong swimming and net-avoidance capabilities that have prohibited adequate sampling. 

 Therefore, one of the first steps toward elucidating the biology and resource material of 

 cephalopods must be the development of suitable fishing gear for Antarctic conditions that can 

 catch squids in reasonable numbers even if not in a fully quantitative manner. 



