Microscopy imaging of live Antarctic krill using a Leica M205C dissecting stereo-microscope with a Leica DFC 450 camera and Leica LAS V4.0 software. Krill were held in a custom made 'krill trap', details provided in manuscript in section eight of this form. The data are available as a single video file. These data are part of Australian Antarctic Science (AAS) projects 4037 and 4050. Project 4037 - Experimental krill biology: Response of krill to environmental change The experimental krill research project is designed to focus on obtaining life history information of use in managing the krill fishery - the largest Antarctic fishery. In particular, the project will concentrate on studies into impacts of climate change on key aspects of krill biology and ecology. Project 4050 - Assessing change in krill distribution and abundance in Eastern Antarctica Antarctic krill is the key species of the Southern Ocean ecosystem. Its fishery is rapidly expanding and it is vulnerable to changes in climate. Australia has over a decade of krill abundance and distribution data collected off Eastern Antarctica. This project will analyse these datasets and investigate if krill abundance and distribution has altered over time. The results are important for the future management of the fishery, as well as understanding broader ecological consequences of change in this important species.

This data set is a supplement to the R package, EchoviewR. EchoviewR is a free software package that acts as an interface between R and Echoview. It uses Component Object Model scripting to enable automated processing of active acoustic data. This data set contains the data necessary to run the vignette tutorials and package examples. The .raw files are acoustic data collected using an EK60 echosounder. They are a subset of the full acoustic data collected on the Krill Acoustic and Oceanographic Survey (KAOS) off Antarctica in the summer of 2003. The .EV template file was created using Echoview v6.1. The .ecs calibration file, .evl line object file and .evr region files are for use with this template. The region files designate off transect regions. The three pdf vignettes contain examples of reading data using EchoviewR, conducting school detection and running biomass estimation of Antarctic Krill. These data are intended only as a supplement to demonstrate the use of EchoviewR. This data is a subset of the KAOS data and as such, must NOT be used to formally estimate krill biomass. These data are a subset of data described in the metadata record at the provided URL.

Krill data collected from the CEAMARC-CASO voyage of the Aurora Australis during the 2007-2008 summer season. The data consist of a large number of images, plus documents detailing analysis methods and file descriptions.

The intention of the Deep Krill Camera and Trap System was to monitor and capture krill found during deep CTD operations. Two traps were installed on the CTD in place of Niskin Bottles. At pre-determined depths an internal light was illuminated and the traps were opened. After a set period of time a second trigger signal was sent to the traps, closing the entry point, encapsulating any Krill that were inside. The Krill Camera system was installed onto the CTD rosette. It consisted of a high-definition video camera (a GoPro Hero 2) within a pressure housing, flanked by two LED light sources. The power for this system was supplied via a rechargeable battery pack also mounted to the CTD. The camera system was remotely controlled from the surface via the CTD communications link. At specific depths the lights and camera were activated, recording the water column and ocean floor by adjusting focus length for fixed durations in an attempt to document Krill at lower depths. An additional camera was introduced into the system, mounted to allow video capture of the Krill Trap Operation. This camera was set to record at the beginning of the operations and left running for the duration of the deployment. Video data from the Krill camera is in MTS format, which can be opened with VLC Media Player. Trap footage is recorded in MP4 format, which can be opened with Quicktime or VLC Media Player. Trap triggering and camera operation data was recorded manually by Rob King.

The download file contains files (Broke 1, Broke 2 and Broke 3) in three formats resulting from the scanning of three plots of BROKE transects with annotations about krill aggregation. The tiff is the primary file from the scanning. The jpeg and pdf were created from the tiff for quick viewing. The numbered points on the plots are trawl locations. The annotations include information about krill aggregation from the echosounder and also information from the trawls. The data contributed to the two papers listed in the references section. BROKE was a marine science cruise conducted by the Aurora Australis during the 1995-1996 season (voyage 4).

This work was completed as part of the SIPEX - Sea Ice Physics and Ecosystem eXperiment - voyage. September/October 2007. The work formed part of AAS (ASAC) projects 2337 and 2767. Aspects of krill (Euphausia superba), growth and condition during late winter-early spring off East Antarctica (110 - 130 degrees E) were investigated. We assessed diet and condition of larval and postlarval krill collected from open water and below the ice. Condition was assessed using lipid content, growth rates and digestive gland size; feeding history was assessed using fatty acid profiles and stomach content analysis; and a starvation study investigated the response of krill to long-term food deprivation. Potential food items were analysed for lipid and fatty acid composition. Fatty acid profiles and stomach content analysis revealed winter/early spring feeding strategies of both larval and adult krill. This work was completed as part of AAS (ASAC) project #2337

These data were collected during the BROKE-West voyage of the 2005-2006 season. They are numbers of krill larvae per cubic metre of water at each of the stations at which data were collected. The data cover three species of Antarctic krill - Euphausia crystallorophias, Euphausia superba and Thysanoessa macrura. The superba data have been published in the Kawaguchi et al paper, "Krill demography and large-scale distribution in the Western Indian Ocean sector of the Southern Ocean (CCAMLR Division 58.4.2) in Austral summer of 2006". The data for the other species will be presented in a forthcoming paper by Kerrie Swadling. This work was completed as part of ASAC projects 2655 and 2679 (ASAC_2655, ASAC_2679).

This dataset contains results from the Aurora Australis Voyage 7 (KROCK) 1992-93, related to mesoscale distribution of krill and zooplankton communities in Prydz Bay in relation to physical and biological oceanographic parameters. There were five objectives of this project: to define the distribution patterns and abundance of krill in the krill dominated continental shelf area of the Prydz Bay region; to define the krill population structure within this area and the distribution pattern of developmental stages, especially spawning females; to define the distribution patterns and composition of the other two principal communities, neritic and oceanic, which border the krill dominated community; to specifically determine the zooplankton composition within the main feeding area of Adelie Penguins from Bechervaise Island monitoring site, Mawson; to record and analyse various physical and biological processes, eg. salinity, temperature, ice and phytoplankton, to determine how these parameters affect the observed distribution patterns. Surveys of krill and other zooplankton were taken in Prydz Bay, Antarctica between January and February 1993. At each station, rectangular midwater trawls and CTDs/bottle casts were made. During the program, echosounders and echointegrators were operating to provide krill abundance and distribution data, in addition to that from the RMT trawls. Initial analysis has shown that Euphausia crystallorophias dominates the neritic community on the shelf, while Euphausia superba was found not to occur in high abundance in the central Prydz Bay area between 70 and 78 degrees East. This dataset is a subset of the full cruise.

Metadata record for data from AAS (ASAC) Project 2337. An excel spreadsheet is available for download from the URL given below. The spreadsheet contains three worksheets: - a summary of the data - validated data - all data Public The experimental krill research program is focussed on obtaining life history information of use in managing the krill fishery - the largest Antarctic fishery. In particular, the program will concentrate on studies into schooling, growth, ageing, behaviour and reproduction of krill as well as into the operation, behaviour and trends of the krill fishery. Project objectives: To investigate key aspects of the biology of Antarctic krill and its management utilising the facilities at the Australian Antarctic Division. Taken from the 2008-2009 Progress Report: Progress against objectives: We succeeded to take krill larvae reproduced in-house last year up to adult stage (external maturity) for the first time in our research laboratory (the second facility ever outside Antarctica), which means that last year's larvae reached maturity within a year in our aquarium, compared to 2-3 years in the wild, however spawning from this population is yet to be recorded. We also had successful reproduction this year and currently these animals are at late larval stage. We have now succeeded in reproduction two years in a row and have established the technique. This is a major step forward in closing Antarctic krill's life cycle in our aquarium. This achievement makes us the only research facility outside Antarctica to be able to conduct live krill experiments for the entire life stage and contribute information on biological parameters important for krill management. Taken from the 2009-2010 Progress Report: Progress against objectives: This year for the first time we have succeeded in closing the entire krill life cycle in our research laboratory (the second facility ever outside Antarctica. We also achieved successful reproduction this year and currently these animals are at the late larval stage. We have now succeeded in krill reproduction for three years in a row and have firmly established the technique. This achievement makes us the only research facility outside Antarctica to be able to conduct live krill experiments for the entire life stage and contribute information on biological parameters important for krill management. Taken from the 2010-2011 Progress Report: Public summary of the season progress: Understanding how krill may respond to various environments is the fundamental information to predict the future of krill centric ecosystem under the climate change. The project's current focus is to study impacts of ocean acidification on krill. The AAD aquarium facility for ocean acidification study is continuing to be upgraded to increase its capacity and stability to undertake its experiments at larger scale. Negative impacts of ocean acidification on krill has been investigated and the range of CO2 level fatal to krill embryonic development was broadly identified, and was published for the first time.

Metadata record for data from ASAC Project 229 See the link below for public details on this project. From the abstracts of some of the referenced papers: In January 1985 a net sampling survey was carried out on the distribution and abundance of euphausiid larvae in the Prydz Bay region. Euphausia superba occurred in low abundance, probably due to sampling preceding the main spawning period. Thysanoessa macrura occurred throughout the study area in consistently high abundance. Euphausia crystallorophias as marginally more abundant within its restricted range. Distinct north-south variations in larval age and development stages of T. macrura were observed indicating regional differences in spawning. Euphausia frigida was mainly confined to the upper 200 m of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Larvae originating on the shelf moved rapidly west in the East Wind drift. E. crystallorophias had the same westward dispersion, but some larvae appeared to return eastward via the Prydz Bay Gyre and remain in the region. The data indicate that most E. superba larvae, providing they survive injurious cold temperature and food deprivation, will leave the area, suggests that Prydz Bay krill may not be a self sustaining stock. ##### This paper presents results of net sampling carried out in four marine science cruises between 1981 and 1985, in the Prydz Bay region of Antarctica by the Australian Antarctic Division. Krill exhibited a patchy distribution and overall low abundance. The majority of sampling sites in January 1985 returned no post-larval krill or densities of less than 1 individual per 1000 cubic metres. The estimated mean abundance of E. superba in January 1985 was 6 indivduals or 2 g (wet wt.) per 1000 cubic metres integrated for the upper 200m of the water column which represented 3.4% of the total zooplankton biomass. No more than five years-groups, including the larvae, were observed in Prydz Bay, with mean lengths of groups 1+, 2+, 3+ and 4+ being 24, 38, 46 and 53 mm (standard 1), respectively in the middle of January. A high proportion of naupliar stages observed in January 1985 indicated that spawning in Prydz Bay begins in January and examination of adult maturation showed that the spawning continues at least to March. ##### Sixty female Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba Dana) spawned in shipboard experiments and the interval between egg-laying and ecdysis was noted. The number of eggs laid per female ranged from 263-3662, most females produced only one batch of eggs before moulting, and the post spawn ovaries of all females contained few, if any, mature oocytes. As reported in other studies, the total number of eggs produced per female was not well correlated with body size. Females appeared to spawn at all times during the moulting cycle and although no diurnal rhythm in spawning was observed, moulting occurred mainly at night-time despite the animals being kept in near-constant darkness. No evidence of synchronous moulting was detected. ##### Data from this project were collected on five Antarctic voyages: HIMS - Heard Island Marine Science - 1990-05-04 - 1990-07-01 AAMBER II - Australian Antarctic Marine Biological Ecosystem Research II - 1991-01-3 - 1991-03-19 FISHOG - Fish and Oceanography - 1992-01-09 - 1992-03-27 KROCK - Krill and Rocks - 1993-01-05 - 1993-03-09 BROKE - Baseline Research on Oceanography, Krill and the Environment - 1996-01-02 - 1996-03-31 All data are available in the download file.