An international workshop, sponsored by industry and government, was held at the Fisheries Centre
in November 1995 to discuss a rational basis for krill exploitation, bringing together experts on krill
from Australia, Chile, Japan, Germany, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Canada and the USA. Papers and
discussions are published in Fisheries Centre Research Reports 3(3), 1995, and eventually led in 1999 to
a multi-authored book, edited by Inigo Everson, in the Fish and Aquatic Resources series published by
Blackwell Science.
In 2001 joint work with Dr Tarsicio Antezana and Jorge Cornejo at the University of Concepcion, Chile
(Oceanography and Fisheries department), began to examine how ecosystem models can help us evaluate the
potential ecosystem impacts of krill fisheries in the Antarctic. A number of students are continuing this work.
Emma Bredesen, a Masters student funded by a Canadian NSERC scholarship, is working on an ecosystem model of the South Georgia area, with special reference to the role of marine mammals. In 2002, Emma took part in a 3-month cruise to the Antarctic on an US Antarctic Survey vessel, taking samples of krill and other plankton, and unofficially helping with marine mammal counts. Among other students, Aftab Erfan is using ecosystem simulations to look at the links between krill, penguins and other seabirds in the Antarctic peninsula, Vasili Karpouzi is analysing seabird fishery interactions in the Antarctic, Louisa Wood is working on the impacts of unreported fishing in Antarctic waters, while Maryann Lea is looking at modelling oceanographic factors affecting marine mammal populations around Crozet Island.
Recently, the Fisheries Centre has established links with Patrice Pruvost from a french group working on ecosystem models of Kerguelen, and with the Marine Resources Assestment Group in the UK, working on ecosystem simulations of the Falklands and its fisheries.
Some of the issues underlying Antarctic ecosysten simulation modelling are discussed a recent article in the Canadian Antarctic newsletter, which also highlights the difficult position of Canadian institutes that wish to work on Antarctic issues in the absence of proper ratification of CCAMLAR by the Canadian government. A workshop on modelling antarctic ecosytems is scheduled for April 2003.
