Preliminary results for identifying potential Antarctic krill spawning and advection pathways of larval krill along the western Antarctic Peninsula and future harmonization plans

This paper introduces ongoing research of the transport of larval Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) in the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) region that can directly assist the harmonization of the Krill Fishery Management Approach (KFMA) and Domain 1 Marine Protected Area (D1MPA). The research is an extension of a circumpolar approach analyzing potential spawning grounds and larval retention within known nursery areas. Here we use online particle tracking within a high resolution (1.5 km) Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) of the WAP region to simulate embryo and larval krill trajectories for four key nursery locations: Bransfield Strait, Gerlache Strait, Grandidier Passage, and Marguerite Bay. The trajectories are then used to identify potential spawning regions for each nursery area. In both the circumpolar application of this work and the preliminary analysis of the high resolution WAP region modeling, we have identified potential critical spawning areas and larval overwintering hotspots, providing insights into the dynamic spatial distributions of krill. These results contribute to the ongoing development of the krill stock hypothesis and support conservation efforts in the region, particularly in relation to the Krill Fishery Management Approach (KFMA) and Domain One Marine Protected Area (D1MPA).