H-51 



PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RESEARCH PROGRAMME 

 3.2 Other ship-based programmes 



The work of the research vessels can be greatly assisted by the co-ordinated survey efforts 

 of exploratory and commercial traviflers, the few whaling vessels which are still in existence, and 

 by supply ships and icebreakers. A brief summary of the advantages and limitations of the 

 different types of vessels with regard to tlie research objectives of BIOMASS is given in Table 4. 

 Given the ambitious objectives of BIOMASS, its success will depend on making the best use of 

 all types of vessel. 



In view of the importance given to resource management, there will be special emphasis on 

 obtaining information from those vessels most directly concerned with the harvestable stocks, 

 ie, exploratory and commercial vessels, particularly those directed at krill. This information will 

 include detaUs of the catch, the distribution and, as far as possible, the relative abundance of 

 the stock, all of which are important in studying the population dynamics of the exploited 

 stock. In addition, where opportunity offers, other biological observations using simple 

 equipment such as plankton nets will be made from these and other non-research vessels. 



Information from fishing vessels is, however, no substitute for observations from research 

 vessels. Indeed, to the extent that the number of the former increases— in other words, 

 exploitation intensifies-there will be a greater urgency for timely scientific advice on 

 management, some of the information for which is only obtainable wath well equipped research 

 vessels. 



3.2.1 Utilization of ships 



1. Exploratory trawlers. 



At present, exploratory trawling is being carried out in the Southern Ocean by ships from 

 the Soviet Union, Japan, the Federal Republic of Germany and Poland, and this activity is likely 

 to increase in the future. Each exploratory trawler has, at present, an active research programme, 

 but these are being conducted largely in isolation from one another. This fleet of trawlers 

 constitutes the largest single potential for supporting the proposed BIOMASS programme. 

 Although the spectrum of opportunities available for oceanographic studies on such vessels is 

 likely to be less than that on research vessels, their unique capacity for effective sampling of krill 

 en masse and their sophisticated hydro-acoustic technology should be fully utilized. Successful 

 liaison with the agencies operating these vessels would not only enhance the significance of their 

 observations relative to one another, but would also provide 'ground truth' for other operations, 

 such as acoustic surveys by other classes of vessels operating in the Southern Ocean, and remote 

 sensing of surface swarms of krill. Exploratory trawlers (and commercial trawlers) have great 

 potential for making significant contributions to our knowledge about krill swarms by taking 

 simple qualitative samples of phytoplankton (mesh size 35 /im) and zooplankton (mesh size 

 200 Aim). 



2. Commercial trawlers. 



At present, most of the commercial trawlers in the Southern Ocean operate in tandem 

 with exploratory trawlers or research vessels, but their operations in the future could well be 

 independent. Because these trawlers are dictated by considerations other than research, the 

 spectrum of opportunity which they provide for BIOMASS is more limited than that provided 

 by exploratory trawlers. However, the success (or failure) of their trawling operations and the 

 gathered acoustic observations constitute data of prime importance if they can be extracted and 

 integrated with those of other commercial trawlers. It would also be possible (with httle extra 

 effort) for the facilities of such trawlers to be extended in directions they might not normally 

 cover, for example, acoustic surveys for squids as well as krill. The BIOMASS programme should 

 also include plankton sampling at every trawling station by means of the simple free fall net. 



