Abstract

SECO PON, Juan Pablo; TAMINI, Leandro; CHAVEZ, Nahuel  and  COPELLO, Sofía. Attendance of the Brown Skua (Stercorarius antarcticus) and the Chilean Skua (Stercorarius Chilensis) at fishing vessels operating in waters of the Argentine Sea. Hornero [online]. 2017, vol.32, n.2, pp.205-214. ISSN 0073-3407.

The Brown Skua (Stercorarius antarcticus) and the Chilean Skua (Stercorarius chilensis) breed in southern South America: the Brown Skua in coastal Argentina including Malvinas Islands and South Georgia, and the Chilean Skua in southern Argentina and Chile. Notwithstanding, information about their distribution in the Argentine Continental Shelf is scarce and limited to a few observations, mainly obtained in northern Patagonian gulfs and Malvinas Islands. There is virtually no information for other areas like the continental shelf, shelf-break and slope. In this work we report sightings of both species obtained within the framework of projects aimed at evaluating the interaction between seabirds and commercial trawl fisheries operating in Argentine waters. The observations were made during all seasons in a span of seven years (2008-2014). The records provide new information about the occurrence and abundance of these species of skuas for a wide latitudinal range in the Argentine Sea, which is also an area of operation of trawling fishing fleets, mainly the Argentine hake (Merluccius hubbsi) fishery.

Keywords : Argentine Sea; Brown Skua; Chilean Skua; High-seas trawlers; Stercorarius antarcticus; Stercorarius chilensis.

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