LARVAL FISH DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE IN THE ANTARCTIC PENINSULA REGION AND ADJACENT WATERS

The spatial distribution, species composition and abundance of ichthyo plankton in the Bransfield Strait and adjacent waters were studied dur ing two cruises in the Antarctic spring 1991/92 and summer 1992/93 sea sons. A multiple plankton net (Bioness) and a Bongo net were used to c ollect samples at 35 stations in 1991/92 and 75 stations in 1992/93. E arly larval stages (14 species) and juveniles (13 species) representin g the known Bransfield Strait ichthyofauna were present in the water c olumn. The nototheniids predominated in the entire study area. The gre atest species diversity was found in the uppermost 200 m of the water column in the Bransfield Strait. Notothenia gibberifrons and Nototheni ops larseni dominated in spring, whilst in summer Pleuragramma antarct icum dominated in association with N. larseni. The dominant species in the Gerlache Strait were P. antarcticum and Notothenia kempi, while P . antarcticum and Trematomus scotti were predominant in the Bellingsha usen Sea area.