Underwater Photographic Survey of Coastal Fish Community of Terra Nova Bay, Ross Sea

Abstract

Although the extent of near-shore and coastal habitats around the Antarctic Continent is limited, they host an abundant and diversified fish fauna dominated by notothenioids. Nevertheless, the spatial distribution of fishes at small scales and their relationships with the surrounding habitat are still poorly known. The purpose of this study is to provide new insights on the inshore fish community of Terra Nova Bay, Ross Sea, which is now part of the largest marine protected area established so far in the Southern Ocean. As a low-impact and effective methodology of investigation, an underwater photographic survey was conducted through two remotely operated vehicle (ROV) transects set down to 300 m depth. The faunistic inventory consisted of twelve species of notothenioids, which complements previous data obtained by conventional samplings. The most abundant species exhibited wide depth distribution ranges, and they were generally associated with areas with a rich benthic macrofauna composed of alcyonaceans, sponges, bryozoans, polychaetes, and echinoderms. Nesting behavior was documented in two species, Trematomus bernacchii and Pagetopsis macropterus. The present data provide further evidence of the importance of inshore waters for the local fish community, representing a proper habitat for settling, foraging, and spawning activities.