KRILL FISHERY AND THE ORGANIC-MATTER FLUX FROM THE SURFACE-LAYER IN THE ANTARCTIC

Two components of vertical fluxes of organic matter in the regions ric h in krill are considered: natural (F-Pi), represented by fluxes of fa eces (F-f) and dead organisms (F-d), and antropogenous (F-a) composed of the krill damaged by fishing gears. The average flux of C-org from the layer 0-100 m in the areas rich in krill is nearly the same as in the rest part of the Antarctic, but In the places of extremely high co ncentrations of krill it may be several times more than the average va lue. In such regions the flux of dead krill is much more intensive tha n that of faeces, and thus, it serves as the main source of food for t he bottom fauna. The krill fishery does not significantly influence th e annual flux value (F-a/F-Pi = 0.1), but it can play an important rol e in the formation of local concentrations of the bottom fauna.