Estimating the abundance of Patagonian toothfish Dissostichus eleginoides using baited cameras: a preliminary study

The Patagonian toothfish Dissostichus eleginoides has been the object of a rapidly expanding longline fishery in the Southern Ocean. Little is known about the biology of D. eleginoides and traditional methods of estimating stock size using trawling techniques have proved ineffective because the adult fish are found in deep waters on the continental slope at depths of 700–2500 m. During September 1997, a preliminary study was undertaken using arrival times at an autonomous baited camera vehicle, the Aberdeen University Deep Ocean Submersible (AUDOS), to estimate the abundance and size of toothfish in waters around South Georgia (SG) and the Falkland Islands (FI). These are the first attempts at estimating the abundance of toothfish that are independent of catch data from the commercial fishery.