At-sea surveys of seabirds and marine mammals, South Georgia, Antarctica, 2010-2011

At-sea surveys of seabirds around South Georgia were undertaken during the austral winter (May to September) in 2010 and 2011. Surveys were conducted in set transects which covered areas primarily targeted by the krill industry, and as well as areas not normally fished.
Surveys consisted of simultaneous recordings of seabirds and marine mammals on the surface of the water within a continuous 300m wide strip transect on one side of the vessel, and 'snapshots' at 300m intervals. Species, positional, environmental and trip data were recorded for each survey. The aim of the project was to investigate the potential interactions between higher predators and the South Georgia krill fishery.

These surveys were carried out as part of a wider Overseas Territories Environment Programme (OTEP; SGS701) funded project 'Identifying important and vulnerable marine areas for conservation at South Georgia.' Phil Trathan (BAS) applied for this grant.