Public summary for project 2128: The aim of this study is to relate the foraging behaviour of Antarctic fur seals breeding on the Kerguelen Plateau at Iles Kerguelen and Heard Island, to the distribution of prey species at sea. Specifically this project seeks to examine the relationship between predators and prey, and how their locations at sea vary according to the position of major productive zones, such as the Antarctic Polar Frontal Zone. This project will provide important data on the relationship between predators and their prey and the developing commercial fisheries in the region. These data are central to improved conservation and management of marine resources on the Kerguelen Plateau. Variations made to the work plan The original comparative aspects of the program planned for the 1999/00 season, where fur seals from Iles Kerguelen and Heard Island were to be satellite tracked simultaneously could not be undertaken because of original 1999/00 field season to Heard Island was re-scheduled to 2000/01. Fortunately the project collaborator Dr Christophe Guinet (French CEBC-CNRS) agreed to extend the work program at Iles Kerguelen another season, and the comparative and integrated fur seal-prey-fisheries study over the Kerguelen Plateau was undertaken the following season (2000/01). Details of this study are presented in ASAC project 1251 (CI - Goldsworthy)and 1085 (CI-Robertson). Significant findings: The distribution of the foraging activity of Antarctic fur seal females was investigated at Cap Noir (49 degrees 07 S, 70 degrees 45E), Kerguelen Island in February 1998. Eleven females were fitted with a satellite transmitter and Time Depth recorder. The two sets of data were combined to locate spatially the diving activity of the seals. The fish component of the fur seal diet was determined by the occurrence of otolotihs found in 55 scats collected during the study period at the breeding colony. Oceanographic parameters were obtained simultaneously through direct sampling and satellite imagery. The mesopelagic fish community was sampled on 20 stations along four transects where epipelagic trawls were conducted at night at 50 meters of depth. We then investigated, using geographic information systems, the relationship between the spatial distribution of the diving activity of the fur seals and oceanographic factors that included sea surface temperature, surface chlorophyll concentration, prey distribution and bathymetry obtained at the same spatio-temporal scale as the spatial distribution of the diving activity of our study animals. An inverse relationship was found between the main fish species preyed by fur seal and those sampled in trawl nets. However, the diving activity of Antarctic fur seal females was found to be significantly related to oceanographic conditions, fish-prey distribution and to the distance from the colony but these relationships changed with the spatial scale investigated. A probabilistic model of the Kerguelen Plateau was developed that predicted where females should concentrate their foraging activity according to the oceanographic conditions of the year, and the locations of their breeding colonies. Maternal allocation in growth of the pup was measured in Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella) at Iles Kerguelen during the 1997 austral summer. Absolute mass gain of pups following a maternal foraging trip was independent of the sex of the pup but was positively related to the foraging trip duration and to maternal length. However, daily mass gain, i.e. the absolute mass gain of the pup divided by the foraging trip duration, decreased with increasing foraging trip duration but increased with maternal length. While fasting, the daily mass loss of the pup was related to the sex of the pup and initial body mass, with both heavier pups and female pups losing more mass per day than lighter pups and male pups. The mass specific rate of mass loss was significantly higher in female pups than in male pups. Over the study period, the mean growth rate was zero with no difference between female and male pups. The growth rate in mass of the pup was positively related to maternal length but not maternal condition, negatively related to the foraging trip duration of the mother and the initial mass of the pup. This indicated that during the study period heavier pups grew more slowly due to their higher rate of daily mass loss during periods of fasting . Interestingly, for a given maternal length, the mean mass of the pup during the study period was higher for male than for female pups, despite the same rate of daily mass gain. Such differences are likely to result from sex differences in the mass specific rate of mass loss. As female pups lose a greater proportion of their mass per day, a zero growth rate i.e. mass gain only compensates for mass loss, is reached at a lower mass in female pups compared to male pups. Our results indicate that there are no differences in maternal allocation according to the sex of the pup but suggest that both sexes follow a different growth strategy. Results are in line with the objectives of the project. animal_id (identifier of the individual animal) location_class (the Argos location class quality, 0-3) latitude (decimal degrees) longitude (decimal degrees) observation_date (the date of observation, in ISO8601 format yyyy-mm-ddTHH:MM:SSZ. This information is also separated into the year, month, day, etc components) observation_date_year (the year of the observation date) observation_date_month (the month of the observation date) observation_date_day (the day of the observation date) observation_date_hour (the hour of the observation date) observation_date_minute (the minute of the observation date) observation_date_time_zone (the time zone of the observation date) deployment_longitude (location that the tracker was deployed, decimal longitude) deployment_latitude (location that the tracker was deployed, decimal latitude) trip (the identifier of the trip made by this animal) at_sea (whether this point was at sea (1) or on land (0)) complete (was this trip complete - i.e. did the animal return to the colony) scientific_name (scientific name of the tracked animal)

Zooplankton were collected with a Rectangular Midwater Trawl (RMT 8+1 net) from 37 sampling sites on and near the Southern Kerguelen Plateau. Specimens of the euphausiid Thysanoessa macrura were selected for cohort analysis, based on lengths, and allometry (dry weights and lengths). Lipids were extracted from the animals to provide a lipid content (%) as a function of dry weight. A small number of individuals was examined further to produce profiles of the main fatty acids and fatty alcohols. Instantaneous growth rate experiments (IGR) were conducted onboard to determine growth rates of males, females and juveniles.

This dataset was collected as part of an honours project by Jessica Wilks at Macquarie University (submitted May 2012). The samples analysed were taken from an expedition conducted by Dr Leanne Armand in 2011 as part of the KEOPS2 mission (KErguelen: compared study of the Ocean and the Plateau in Surface water). During this mission 7 locations (A3-1, A3-2, E1-3, E14W2, NPF-L, R2 and TEW) around the Kerguelen Plateau were sampled for seafloor sediment. Each attached spreadsheet represents the data from one of these locations. Three tubes of sediment were taken for each location. The data within each spreadsheet is separate for the three tubes. After the tubes of seafloor sediment were processed to remove organic material and carbonates (leaving nothing but siliceous material, primarily diatoms) slides were made with a small amount of material, three slides per tube of sediment. Diatoms were identified using a light microscope at 40x magnification. Approximately 400 frustules were counter per tube (ie per set of 3 slides) in order to represent the diversity of the species present. The number of each species or subspecies of diatom are tallied in the spreadsheets attached. Species identifications follow Armand et al 2008. Other information in the attached spreadsheets includes the seafloor depth at the point of sampling, the distance from the Kerguelen shoreline at the point of sampling, the amount of suspended material used on each slide, the number of field of view (at 40X) viewed to count the quota of 400 diatom frustules, and the calculated number of frustules/ gram of dry sediment weight. Counting protocol: centric frustules were counted only when 1) more than half of the frustule was intact; and 2) the frustule was clearly identifiable. If 1) but not 2) then the frustule was counted as "unidentified centric". For Rhizosolenia spp, frustules were couned if the apex was present and identifiable, otherwise it was counted as "R. unknown". Thalassiothrix and Tricotoxon were only counted if one end was present and identifiable. The number was later divided by 2, to give the number of complete frustules. Abbreviations: A. spp= Actinocyclus As. spp= Asteromphalus Az. spp= Azpeita Ch. spp= Chaetoceros Co. spp= Coscinodiscus C. spp= Cocconeis D. spp= Dactyliosen E. spp= Eucampia F. spp= Fragilariopsis O. spp= Odontella P. spp= Paralia Po. spp= Porosira R. spp= Rhizosolenia Th. spp= Thalassionema T. spp= Thalassiosira Locations A3-1, Kerguelen Plateau: -50.65333 S, 72.04 E A3-2, Kerguelen Plateau: -50.64722 S, 72.07 E E1-3, Kerguelen Plateau: -48.11667 S, 71.96667 E E14W2, Kerguelen Plateau: -48.7775 S, 71.43833 E NPF-L, Kerguelen Plateau: -48.62417 S, 74.81222 E R2, Kerguelen Plateau: -50.39389 S, 66.69944 E TEW, Kerguelen Plateau: -49.16083 S, 69.83389 E

Sampling was conducted according to GEOTRACES protocols. Samples for trace element analyses, including dissolved iron (dFe), were filtered through acid-cleaned 0.2 um cartridge filters (Pall Acropak) under constant airflow from several ISO class 5 HEPA units. All plastic ware was acid-cleaned prior to use, following GEOTRACES protocols. Samples were collected into low-density polyethylene (LDPE) bottles, acidified immediately to pH 1.7 with Seastar Baseline hydrochloric acid (HCl), double-bagged and stored at room temperature until analysis on shore. Samples for dFe analysis were pre-concentrated offline (factor 40) on a SeaFAST S2 pico (ESI, Elemental Scientific, USA) flow injection system with a Nobias Chelate-PA1 column. Samples were eluted from the column in 10% distilled nitric acid (HNO3), with calibration based on the method of standard additions in seawater (made using multi-element standards in a 10% HNO3 matrix, rather than an HCl matrix). Pre-concentrated samples were analysed using Sector Field Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (SF-ICP-MS, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.). Data were blank-corrected by subtracting an average acidified milli-Q blank that was treated similarly to the samples. The dFe detection limit for a given analysis run on the SeaFAST/SF-ICP-MS was calculated as 3 x standard deviation of the milli-Q blank on that run. Detection limits ranged from 0.016 to 0.067 nmol kg-1, with a median of 0.026 nmol kg-1 (n=12). GEOTRACES reference materials were analyzed along with samples and results were in good agreement with consensus values: SAFe D1 was measured at 0.69 +/- 0.05 nmol kg-1 (n=7; consensus value = 0.67 +/- 0.04 nmol kg-1) and GD was measured at 1.02 +/- 0.01 nmol kg-1 (n=6; consensus value = 1.00 +/- 0.1 nmol kg-1). Comments regarding the data spreadsheet: NaN = no sample dFe QC flags: 1 = high confidence in data quality 2 = detection limit 3 = low confidence in data quality detection limits: dFe data that were below the daily detection limit were replaced with the respective detection limit. They are flagged with the number 2 in the dFe QC flag column.

This dataset was collected as part of an honours project by Jessica Wilks at Macquarie University (submitted May 2012). The samples analysed were taken from an expedition conducted by Dr Leanne Armand in 2011 as part of the KEOPS2 mission (KErguelen: compared study of the Ocean and the Plateau in Surface water). During this mission 7 locations (A3-1, A3-2, E1-3, E14W2, NPF-L, R2 and TEW) around the Kerguelen Plateau were sampled for seafloor sediment. This study involved identification of over 50 species of diatoms as part of a species assemblage/ distribution study. A photograph of each diatom encountered in this study is included in the attached plates.

The data set consists of the FlowCAM vignette images and associated files of particles (e.g. protists, zooplankton, inorganic particles) sampled during the K-AXIS (Kerguelen Axis) cruise (Aurora Australis Voyage 3, 2016) from the CTD rosette and underway seawater line. All images selected as non-identified or unwanted particles have been removed from this clean dataset. Calibration and particle library (identified objects) are also included. The "KAXIS_FlowCAM_logsheet.xlsx" file describes all sampling information.

40Ar/39Ar geochronology data of basalt samples from the Kerguelen Plateau and Broken Ridge The samples include basalts from ODP drilling cores and dredge sites. The drilling core samples were stored in the Kochi Core Centre, Japan and the dredged samples were stored in the National Museum of Natural History, France. Analytical methods of the 40Ar/39Ar geochronology data: Samples were crushed and minerals/groundmass were separated using a Frantz magnetic separator. Plagioclase, pyroxene, amphibole, sericite, and basaltic glass crystals and groundmass were separated from either the 125–212 μm or the 212–355 μm size fractions using a Frantz isodynamic magnetic separator. Minerals and groundmass were subsequently hand-picked grain-by-grain under a binocular stereomicroscope. Plagioclase and groundmass were further leached using diluted HF (2N) for 5 minutes and thoroughly rinsed in distilled water. Samples were loaded into several large wells of 1.9cm diameter and 0.3 cm depth aluminium discs. The discs were Cd-shielded to minimise undesirable nuclear interference re-actions and irradiated for 40 hours in the Oregon State University nuclear reactor (USA) in the central position. The samples were irradiated alongside FCs and GA1550 standards, for which ages of 28.294 ± 0.037 Ma and 99.738 ± 0.100 Ma were used, respectively. The 40Ar/39Ar analyses were performed at the Western Australian Argon Isotope Facility at Curtin University. The samples were step-heated using a continuous 100 W PhotonMachine© CO2 (IR, 10.4 µm) laser fired on the crystals during 60 seconds. Each of the standard crystals was fused in a single step. The gas was purified in an extra low-volume stainless steel extraction line of 240cc and using one SAES AP10 and one GP50 getter. Ar isotopes were measured in static mode using a low volume (600 cc) ARGUS VI mass spectrometer from Thermofisher© set with a permanent resolution of ~200. Measurements were carried out in multi-collection mode using four faradays to measure mass 40 to 37 and a 0-background compact discrete dynode ion counter to measure mass 36. We measured the relative abundance of each mass simultaneously using 10 cycles of peak-hopping and 33 seconds of integration time for each mass. Detectors were calibrated to each other electronically and using air shot beam signals. The raw data were processed using the ArArCALC software. The criteria for the determination of plateau are as follows: plateaus must include at least 70% of 39Ar released. The plateau should be distributed over a minimum of 3 consecutive steps agreeing at 95% confidence level and satisfying a probability of fit (P) of at least 0.05. Plateau ages are given at the 2σ level and are calculated using the mean of all the plateau steps, each weighted by the inverse variance of their individual analytical error. Uncertainties include analytical and J-value errors.

Environmental variables in the region of the Kerguelen Plateau compiled from different sources and provided in the ascii raster format. Mean surface and seafloor temperature, salinity and their respective amplitude data are available on the time coverage 1955-2012 and over five decades: 1955 to 1964, 1965 to 1974, 1975 to 1984, 1985 to 1994 and 1995 to 2012. N/A was set as the no data reference. Future projections are provided for several parameters: they were modified after the Bio-ORACLE database (Tyberghein et al. 2012). They are based on three IPCC scenarii (B1, AIB, A2) for years 2100 and 2200 (IPCC, 4th report).

The geomorphology was digitised using contours derived from the DEM created by Dr. R. Beaman from James Cook University for Geoscience Australia. The data, the metadata record and the report related to the creation of that DEM are available on the Geoscience Australia website: Name of data set: Kerguelen Plateau Bathymetric Grid 2010 Catalogue number: 71552 https://ecat.ga.gov.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search?node=srv#/metadata/a05f7893-007f-7506-e044-00144fdd4fa6 Digitising: It must be stressed that neither seismic data, sea floor sediments, nor sea floor biota were used to determine the sea floor geomorphology. The description on how the geomorphology was derived is described in the attached report. The features described as slopes from the 900m to 1300m isobaths and from the 1300m to 2500m isobaths were identified for fisheries purposes and not geomorphology purposes. A geomorphologist may combine these slopes into a single feature. Some of the larger shallow features identified as banks may more properly be identified as plateaus. It would require a more in depth analysis of the DEM, slopes and sediments to accurately identify the feature as a bank or plateau.

The documents available for downloading are: A scanned copy of a notebook from data collection/analysis Two annotated copies of a typed list detailing the contents of the stomachs of bird species from Heard Island Iles de Kerguelen. Some correspondence is also included with the stomach content lists. The typed lists refer to data collected in 1950, whereas the notebook refers to data collected in 1951.