Occurrence of Antarctic flying squid Todarodes filippovaeAdam, 1975 in Southern Indian Ocean

Abstract

Antarctic flying squid Todarodes filippovae is poorly known in Southern Indian Ocean. About 27 kg of T. filippovae consisting of 37 individuals were opportunistically collected on 1st February 2011 at 38º 59’S, 57º 29’E of northern Subtropical Convergence during the 5th Indian Expedition to Southern Ocean. Among the 37 individuals, 36 were females with dorsal mantle length (ML) of 331±21 mm. The ML of single male was 210 mm. Heavy metals detected in mantle samples were, Pb<DL, Cd 0.80 ± 0.64, Fe 22.62 ± 14.6, Mn 2.01 ± 0.3, Ni 6.0 ± 0.5, Cu 20.18 ± 2.4, Zn 111.61 ± 7.1 and Hg 1.64 ± 0.35 µg/g dry weight. These trace element concentrations were within the permissible limits recommended for human consumption. The present study gives the preliminary information about the abundance of T. filippovae in Southern Indian Ocean.