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Today work on the ship focused on the distribution and species composition of krill and fish around the Balleny Islands. This involved mapping aggregations using echosounders and then running mid-water trawls to confirm species. We also took advantage of the beautifully calm conditions and calibrated the ship’s echosounders. To do this a metal ball was run on lines under the ship until it was in a known position under the sounders. This operation can be difficult because the lines can snag on all the instruments poking through the hull but all went smoothly this time.
We only recorded a handful of humpback sightings today largely because the ship was busy trawling and calibrating. Remarkably though we heard lots of humpback calls/songs. Until recently it was thought humpbacks only sing in the breeding areas so to hear them so frequently on this voyage is surprising.
Currently we are running transects along Sturge Island, the southernmost island in the Balleny group. This island also has the characteristic steep, dark volcanic cliffs and heavy burden of snow. Adelie penguins and crab-eater seals pepper the ice floes between the ship and the island.
Tomorrow‘s forecast is good so we hope to run more transect lines throughout the day.
Map
A map showing Australia and Antarctica. The map shows the journey of one voyage that has occured in the season, with each route highlighted in a distinct colour.