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Lookup NU author(s): Dr William Reid
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
An ecosystem-based approach to fishery management requires, inter alia, knowledge of fishery impacts on both target and non-target species, as well as the wider ecosystem. To support management of the Antarctic krill fishery, we present a robust reference dataset for identifying fish species caught as bycatch. By combining morphological and molecular taxonomic identification, 53 fish species in 44 genera and 11 families were confidently identified. Our dataset extends the DNA barcode library of Sub-Antarctic and Antarctic fish species and provides a foundation for developing an enhanced identification guide for larval fish to be used by observers on board krill fishing vessels. Phylogenetic relationships were inferred from two commonly used barcode markers, the mitochondrial cox1 and the non-coding control region. We observed clear phylogenetic relationships, highlighting coherent placements of notothenioids, myctophids, Aulopiformes, Gadiformes and Zoarcoidei. The results suggest a discrepancy between observer-based and genetic identifications, with 20.6% of records representing misidentifications in the fishing seasons 2021/2022 and 2022/2023
Author(s): Romero Martinez ML, Reid WDK, Collins MA, Cuellar KLT, Goodall-Copestake WP, Clark JM, Viney B, Gregory S, Owen K, Hollyman PR
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Polar Biology
Year: 2026
Volume: 49
Online publication date: 19/02/2026
Acceptance date: 05/02/2026
Date deposited: 19/02/2026
ISSN (print): 0722-4060
ISSN (electronic): 1432-2056
Publisher: Springer
URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-026-03463-4
DOI: 10.1007/s00300-026-03463-4
Data Access Statement: Data supporting this study have been submitted to the British Antarctic Survey -Polar Data Centre; all associated files will be available to the general public following a one-month embargo. The dataset is due to be released on June 30 th, 2025, at https://doi.org/10.5285/9c459656-5fe4-44f7-860f-da287111016c. A physical DNA bank was established for the project’s tissue and genomic DNA samples and can be found as part of the biological archives at BAS under the logistic case number 22903. Adult specimens were deposited in the Natural History Museum, London, under the specimen numbers 2024.7.1.17 and 2026.2.1.1–2026.2.1.29. Genetic data for cox1 and control region are available from GenBank under BioProject PRJNA1270765 with accession numbers PQ686535-45, PQ727374-PQ736688, PQ728912-86, PQ736524-PQ736688, PQ742065-PQ742162, and PQ672629-PQ672777 (due to be released on June 30 th, 2025).
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