The state of exploited fish stocks in the Southern Ocean - a review

Antarctic finfish resources have been subject to exploitation primarily by the Soviet Union since more than 20 years. The total yield from the Southern Ocean has been 2.85 million tonnes until the season 1989/90. About two thirds of the catches have been taken in the Atlantic Ocean sector (mainly South Georgia) while the remaining one third originated primarily from the Kerguelen waters in the Indian Ocean sector. The fishery is regulated under the auspices of the Convention on the ‘Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources’ (CCAMLR) for rile whole Southern Ocean since 1982 and under French national jurisdiction around the Kerguelen and the Crozet Islands. Apart from the lanternfish Electrona carlsbergi the fishery on all other species is restricted by conservation measures.
The stocks most heavily affected by fishing are those of Notothenia rossii in both sectors, Notothenia squamifrons in the Indian Ocean sector and of Champsocephalus gunnari in the South Orkney Islands/Antarctic Peninsula region. Sizes of most of these stocks are only small fractions of their initial size. Champsocephalus gunnari around South Georgia has recovered two times from low stock sizes following heavy fishing.