Large aggregations of pelagic squid near the ocean surface at the Antarctic Polar Front, and their capture by grey-headed albatrosses

• Published in: ICES Journal of Marine Science
• Main Authors: Rodhouse, Paul G., Boyle, Peter R.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Oxford University Press 2010
• Subjects: Marine Sciences; Zoology; Ecology and Environment; Antarctic; The Antarctic; Antarc*
• Online Access: http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/11374/

Satellite-tracked squid predators and fish-finding acoustics were used to locate squid concentrations at the Antarctic Polar Front, then to sample them with a midwater trawl. Near-surface hauls were dominated by the squid Martialia hyadesi similar in size to those fed to grey-headed albatross chicks. The characteristics of the squid and their proximity to the surface suggest that the birds locate squid concentrations by olfaction and catch them by plunging.