Interannual structure of the bathyal deep-sea food-web at South Sandwich Islands (Southern Ocean): Stable isotope values of 𝛅13C and 𝛅15N

In this work we used stable isotope analyses of 𝛅13C and 𝛅15N to study the deep-sea food-web structure in three consecutive years at South Sandwich Islands (Scotia Sea, Southern Ocean). Stable isotopes were measured in the muscle of individuals, and in prey from their stomachs, captured during the toothfish fishing operations in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

This dataset contains the raw data of 𝛅13C, 𝛅15N, %C and %N values for each individual analysed in this study.

Methods
The muscle used in this study was sampled from fish captured aboard fishing vessels during toothfish fishing seasons 2020, 2021 and 2022 at South Sandwich Islands (CCAMLR Subarea - 48.4) and from fresh prey sampled from the stomachs of captured fish. Muscle was frozen at -20 ºC aboard.

On the laboratory, the muscle was freeze-dried. The muscle was delipidated using 3-successive rinses of cyclohexane and posteriorly dried in an oven overnight.

Isotopic ratios of Carbon (δ13C) and Nitrogen (δ15N) determined by a Continuous Flow Mass Spectrometer (Thermo Scientific® Delta V Plus – Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer) coupled to an elemental analyser (Thermo Scientific® Flash 2000).