Download FAR 2018/11 – Acoustic biomass estimates of southern blue whiting on the Bounty Plateau in 2017

The FV Tomi Maru 87 collected acoustic data along 15 transects in one snapshot on the Bounty Plateau overnight on 5–6 September 2017. Spawning was very late in 2017, with running ripe females recorded northeast of the survey location on 1–4 September, and then close to the survey area on 7–9 September. The acoustic biomass estimate was 7719 t (CV 24%). This was 24% higher than the estimate from 2016, but still the third lowest in the industry acoustic time-series (which started in 2004).