This dataset covers the area of the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) around Heard Island and McDonald Islands (HIMI). The Fisheries sector areas were originally created by Dick Williams, former Fisheries biologist at the Australian Antarctic Division for the HIMI fishery, to define areas of research fishing for the first longline vessels to fish at HIMI in 2003 and 2004. This dataset consists of a polygon shapefile representing the sector areas and a map displaying the sector areas. Each polygon has the attributes polygon number and area in square kilometres. The dataset was created in December 2015 using current boundaries as listed in the Quality section of this record.

A trawl survey is conducted each year at Heard Island and McDonald Islands (HIMI) to assess the abundance and biology of fish and invertebrate species. The survey provides information for input into the stock assessments for the two main fished species, Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides), and mackerel icefish (Champsocephalus gunnari). In addition, it provides information on biodiversity and bycatch species from the fishery. Nine strata were defined as areas for sampling during the annual Random Stratified Trawl Survey (RSTS) conducted on board an industry vessel. The area of the plateau down to 1000 metres depth was divided into nine strata, each covering an area of similar depth and/or fish abundance. A number of randomly allocated stations (between 10 and 30) are sampled in each stratum during every survey to assess the abundance of juvenile and adult toothfish on the shallow and deep parts of the Heard Island Plateau (300 to 1000 metres depth) and to assess the abundance of mackerel icefish on the Heard Island Plateau. Although the number and boundaries of strata have been adjusted over the years, they have been consistent since 2002 (Welsford et al. 2006). This dataset consists of a polygon shapefile representing the strata and a map displaying the strata.

The distribution and abundance of ice-associated copepods in the fast ice of the Australian Antarctic Territory were investigated over a distance of approximately 650 km between October and December 1995. The six sites where collections were made were: offshore from Mawson station, Larsemann Hills (including Nella Bay), Rauer Islands (ice edge near Filla Is), O'Gorman Rocks and Bluff Island near Davis Station, and Murphy Rocks in the northern Vestfold Hills. Ice cores were obtained using SIPRE ice augers. Five to ten cores were collected along transects several km in length. Thickness of sea ice and snow cover were measured at each sampling site. Chlorophyll a concentrations were determined for each core. Copepods were isolated from the melted core water and identified and counted. Zooplankton tows were also made at each site where cores were collected. Nine species of copepods were identified from the cores. However, of these, only three were recorded regularly: Paralabidocera antarctica, Drescheriella glacialis and Stephos longipes. The abundance of copepods ranged between 0 and 147/L. The highest densities were recorded at the Larsemann Hills and the lowest at Murphy Rocks. Within the cores, the highest abundances were found in the bottom 10 cm of ice, irrespective of the species. Chlorophyll a concentrations ranged between 0.9 and 373 mg/m3. Data available: excel files containing sampling dates, sampling sites and abundances (number per L) of three dominant sea ice copepods, Paralabidocera antarctica, Drescheriella glacialis, Stephos longipes. Data are presented for developmental stages (nauplii, copepodites and adults) where available. Totals are also provided. Vertical distribution in some cores is also provided. Chlorophyll a concentrations (ug/L) provided for most sites. Detailed information about each of the spreadsheets is provided below: The chlorophyll spreadsheet shows chlorophyll concentrations for 5 sites in the AAT. The column headings are: core - reference number of the core collected subsection - depth in the core in cm volume - vol of melted core water volume added - 1 L of filtered seawater for melting % original - amount of total that core water represents (i.e. minus the 1L added) aliquot - volume subsampled for chlorophyll analysis acetone - amount added (mL) for extraction 750, 664, 647, 630 - wavelengths where absorbance was measured chloro a - amount of chlorophyll a in the sample ug/L - chloro a expressed as a concentration The spatial spreadsheet shows species abundances of three copepods at 4 sites N1 to NVI - nauplius stage 1 to 6 of a species CI to CVI - copepodite stage 1 to 6 of a species F or M - female or male of copepodite stage 5 or 6 1,1 etc - cores 1 and 2 from site 1 within a major location (e.g. 2 cores close together in the Larsemann Hills) The temporal spreadsheet shows abundances over time at 2 sites (O'Gorman Rocks, Bluff Is) near Davis and two species (Paralabidocera antarctica and Drescheriella glacialis) on several sampling dates N1 to N3 - total nauplii in each of three cores (i.e. not separated into stages as above) C1 to C3 - total copepodites A1 to A3 - total adults Then at the bottom are the means of each three cores.

This dataset contains results from Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) surveys in the Southern Ocean. When the opportunity arises, zooplankton species, numbers and abundance data are recorded on a continuous basis as vessels steam through the area between Australia and Antarctica, including Heard and Macquarie Islands. Observations have been made since June 1990 and are ongoing. Obviously the observations are not continuous over the region with time. Many of the original SO-CPR logbooks from the various voyages have also been scanned, and are available via the Australian Antarctic Data Centre's Reports Register. Zooplankton have been identified to lowest possible taxon, usually species, and counted for each segment. For copepods, copepodites and for some species nauplii (e.g. Rhincalanus gigas) have been counted separately, and for euphausiids, naupliar, calyptopis and furcilia developmental stages are identified. The fields in this dataset are: Tow_number - the CPR tow number Ship_name - the name of the ship on which the tow was conducted Season - two-year Antarctic season based around the austral summer, e.g. '2000-01' runs from July 2000 to June 2001 Latitude - the decimal latitude of the segment sample Longitude - the decimal longitude of the segment sample Observation_date - UTC date and time of the segment sample in ISO8601 format (yyyy-mm-ddTHH:MMZ) Observation_date_year - the observation date year Observation_date_month - the observation date month Observation_date_day - the observation date day Observation_date_hour - the observation date hour Observation_date_minute - the observation date minute Observation_date_time_zone - the observation date time zone (0=UTC) Segment_number - the individual segment number within each tow Segment_length - the distance travelled by the CPR during this segment (nautical miles). This is the true segment length as used in the Geocoding program used to cut the silk, and to calculate positions and average environmental data for each segment. In theory, all segments are 5 nautical miles long. However, this wasn't always the case with early Aurora Australis tows, where it was assumed that each marked segment was 5 nautical miles whereas each tow had subtle variations in silk advancement, depending on the wear of the cassette or travel with or against a current. True segment length has since been recalculated. At other times, some silks have been incorrectly cut and the true length has again been recalculated. The last segment of each tow may be less than 5 nautical miles. This field can be used to standardise species counts to say 5 nautical miles or to a theoretical volume filtered by multiplying the distance travelled by aperture area (12.7 x 12.7 mm): Volume Filtered = Distance (n miles) x 1852 metres x 0.0127^2. A 5 nautical mile segment theoretically represents 1.49 m^3. Total_abundance - total count of all zooplankton in a segment Phytoplankton_colour_index - visual estimation of the green colour of the silk mesh. Values are 'No Colour', 'Very Pale Green', 'Pale Green', or 'Green'. This colouration is due to the green chlorophyll pigments derived from chloroplasts of intact and broken cells and small unarmoured flagellates. It may provide an indicator of phytoplankton standing stock, although in the Southern Ocean there are some diatoms that are quite common on the silks but as they have very low amounts of chlorophyll the colour doesn't register in the PCI analysis. Fluorescence - water fluoresence measured by the vessel, averaged for the segment (arbitrary units). See Quality notes for more information. Salinity - water salinity measured by the vessel, averaged for the segment (psu). See Quality notes for more information. Water_temperature - water temperature measured by the vessel (degrees Celsius). See Quality notes for more information. Photosynthetically_active_radiation - photosynthetically active radiation measured by the vessel (micro-Einsteins m-2 s-1). This is not available on some vessels but has been included as a useful parameter to help differentiate data from night and day. The remaining fields ('Abylidae' through to 'Vibilia_sp') are zooplankton taxon names. The entries in these columns are the counts of each taxon in the segment.

The effect of location and sediment contamination on recruitment of soft-sediment assemblages were examined in field experiment at Casey Station, East Antarctica. Four locations were used, a polluted bay adjacent to an old disused tip site (Brown Bay), a bay adjacent to the Casey Station sewage outfall, and two undisturbed control locations in O'Brien Bay. At each location two types of defaunated sediment (polluted and control) were placed 12 - 18 m, in experimental trays. Half of the experimental sediments were left in place over the Austral winter, from March - November, and the remaining sediments were collected after a total of one year, in February 1999. There were large differences in recruitment between the two locations and significant differences between the polluted and control sediment. There were not only differences in abundance of taxa and assemblage structure but also in spatial variability and variability of populations of certain taxa, with recruitment to the control locations more variable than polluted locations, and recruitment in the control sediment more variable than the polluted sediment. The majority of fauna recruiting to the experiment were highly motile colonizing species with non-pelagic lecithotrophic larvae, usually brooded and released as dispersing juveniles, such as gammarids, tanaids, isopods and gastropods. A total of 64 recruitment samples were collected after 9 months and 52 samples after one year. Samples were sieved at 500 micro m and sorted mainly to species. Samples are rows in data sheet. Site codes include place name (e.g. BB2) and experimental treatment (e.g. C1 - control 1). See accompanying sheet for full details of codes, including species names. Sediment chemistry data are means (and standard errors) for each treatment (averaged over 2 trays). Also links to ASAC 1100. The fields in this dataset are: Species Site Sample Abundance Toxicity Arsenic Cadmium Copper Lead Silver Zinc