Spawning locations of mackerel icefish at South Georgia

Historical information on the distribution of spawning and larval mackerel icefish (Champsocephalus gunnari) within CCAMLR Subarea 48.3 (South Georgia and Shag Rocks) is assessed. This is considered alongside new data from co mmercial fisheries and research surveys. It is concluded that there is stro ng evidence of inshore spawning at South Georgia during April within and cl ose to the bays on the north side of the island. Some spawning almost certa inly occurs over much of the island shelf, although this appears to be at a very much lower intensity than inshore. There is some evidence of spawning at Shag Rocks. There are also indications of a possible second spawning se ason in January, although the evidence is weak. Concentrations of larval ic efish within Cumberland Bay are an order of magnitude higher than in adjace nt coastal waters and their density declines exponentially offshore. All th is evidence indicates that the most important spawning locations are within the bays.