Mesopelagic fish were sampled in the Scotia Sea using a 25 m2 opening and closing rectangular midwater trawl during five research cruises on RRS John Biscoe and RRS James Clark Ross. Nets sampled discrete layers, from the surface to 1000 m during austral spring, summer and autumn. The data include 17726 individual fish records from 66 taxa, the most abundant of which were myctophids of the genera Electrona, Gymnoscopelus, Krefftichthys and Protomyctophum and bathylagids (Bathylagus sp.). Length (standard length, total length or pre-anal fin length) was measured for the majority of specimens (16837), with sex and weight data also collected for many. The work was conducted as part of the BAS Ecosystems Programmes funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council.

SOMBASE is a tool for looking at marine molluscs in the seas around Antarctica. Using a database and the latest mapping technology it is possible to display all the places where a family, genus or species has been found on an electronic map. These maps show us how widely spread different organisms are and if they prefer a particular area or type of habitat. The database can also be used to address questions about biodiversity in the seas around Antarctica and how it''s unique environment affects which animals are found there. SOMBASE contains comprehensive distribution records of Antarctic, Magellanic, and Sub-Antarctic Gastropods and Bivalves as well as records for many other species from the Southern Hemisphere. Based upon published records and British Antarctic Survey data these distribution maps form part of a biogeographic database, which also includes taxonomic, ecological and habitat data. The database contains information on over 3,250 species from more than 3,800 locations.