Distribution and abundance of Antarctic krill off South Orkney Islands, February 2022

During February 2022 the Cargo Vessel “Antarctic Provider” was used to conduct the annual Norwegian Institute of Marine Research survey covering 5 north/south transects off South Orkney Islands. This survey represents the eleventh survey carried out since 2011, using the same type of method design and timing. It was not carried out in 2021 due to COVID 19 complications. Here we present the preliminary krill density estimates based on calibrated echo sounder data. The average krill NASC in the study area was 293 m² nmi^-2 at 120 kHz (25.6% coefficient of variation) and the corresponding average krill density was 97.1 g m^-2.