Understanding the life history traits of Antarctic fish species is crucial for effective management and conservation purposes. This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of the reproductive dynamics, age and growth characteristics in Trematomus newnesi, a common nototheniid species in the High-Antarctic zone. Field observations conducted in Potter Cove, South Shetland Islands, revealed significant variations in photoperiod and water temperature from November to March, with water temperatures reaching a peak in mid-December. The gonadosomatic index, as a proxy of gonad development, increased exponentially in both sexes from November to March. Sex steroid plasma levels, particularly testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2), showed significant temporal variations, with a significant increase in the period when late vitellogenesis was evident, suggesting the proximity of final maturation and spawning. Age estimation through otolith readings provided a range of ages up to five years for both sexes. Comparison with previous studies on T. newnesi from other Antarctic areas highlighted similarities in reproductive patterns and differences in growth parameters. Photoperiod and an increase in temperature resulted to be trigger factors promoting vitellogenesis in T. newnesi, ending in an early austral autumn spawning event. The environmental cues and reproductive data recorded at Potter Cove suggest that this area serves as a spawning ground for T. newnesi. Likewise, larval hatching was estimated to occur from early to mid-August, after an egg incubation period of four months. Overall, this study provides insights into the life history traits of T. newnesi, as a valuable contribution for appropriate management and conservation of Antarctic fish populations.

Understanding the reproductive biology of Antarctic notothenioid fish species is crucial for effective management and conservation efforts. This study investigates the reproductive biology of Notothenia coriiceps, focusing on the location of spawning grounds and the influence of environmental factors on this process. Sampling included 120 specimens caught at Potter Cove, South Shetland Islands, from November to late March of years 2016-2018 (austral spring -summer season). Gonadal macroscopic, histologic and physiologic features are reported. Histological analysis revealed two distinct groups of oocytes in the ovaries: a leading clutch of vitellogenic oocytes for the upcoming reproductive event and a second remnant clutch of smaller oocytes in cortical alveoli and primary growth stages. Photoperiod phases significantly associate with variations in the gonadosomatic index throughout ovarian development, indicating the influence of this parameter on fish reproduction at high latitudes. Elevated plasma levels of estradiol during vitellogenesis support its role in stimulating yolk precursor synthesis and incorporation into oocytes. In March, an increase in testosterone levels during late vitellogenesis suggests the proximity of final maturation, ovulation, and spawning. A sharp increase in both sex steroids and accelerated gonadal development of N. coriiceps was particularly evident after water temperature reached maximum values (similar to 2 degrees C), suggesting that high temperature acts as a driver of the physiological mechanisms that allow to complete vitellogenesis and reach the ovulation. Our results show that (1) N. coriiceps females captured in mid-March at Potter Cove were in late developing, suggesting that spawning likely start on April; (2) Potter Cove is likely a spawning ground for N. coriiceps in part due to its thermal regime, emphasizing the importance of inshore areas as spawning grounds for Antarctic notothenioids. Thus, this study underscores the necessity of investigating the impact of water temperature changes on notothenioids reproductive patterns in the context of global warming at West Antarctic Peninsula region.

The trophic ecology of several cryonotothenioid species has been well studied, but scarcely on the juvenile fraction of their populations. Particularly, till date the inter-annual variation of the diet composition and feeding habits of these young notothenioid stages has not been explored. Herein, we analysed the trophic ecology of 755 specimens of the species Notothenia rossii, Notothenia coriiceps, Nototheniops nudifrons, Trematomus newnesi and Harpagifer antarcticus, collected in the inshore waters of Potter Cove, South Shetlands Islands, during four consecutive sampling periods from 2008 to 2012. The stomach-content analysis using the IRI

The fish incidence, particularly notothenioids and myctophids, in the diet of non-breeding male Arctocephalus gazella in the western Antarctic Peninsula (AP) region is widely variable according to the studied locality. We made a comparative diet analysis on 158 fecal samples collected in summer 2005 at Hope Bay (HB), AP and at Stranger Point (SP), South Shetland Islands (SSI). The frequency of occurrence of Antarctic krill Euphausia superba and fish as prey was similar at HB, whereas krill was predominant at SP. For each fish species identified based on the otoliths found, their relative importance in the diet was evaluated using the IRI index. Notothenioid fish prevailed at HB, Pleuragramma antarctica being the most important prey. Contrarily, the myctophids Gymnoscopelus nicholsi and Electrona antarctica predominated at SP. Both benthopelagic and pelagic fish species were represented at HB, while the latter were more important at SP. Demersal nototheniid species (e.g., Trematomus spp.) were scarcely represented and only at HB, which might be related to a preference of fur seals for the more abundant pelagic prey there. At SP, demersal nototheniids were not represented in the scats. The fish species consumption was higher in diversity at SP in comparison with HB but low in overlap between the two sites. We surmise that the differences found in the dietary composition of fur seals from both sites could be related to 1-different topographical and hydrological conditions associated to the study areas; 2-historical finfish fisheries, which took place during the late 1970s at the SSI, but not in the AP. Our findings are compared with studies from other localities of the AP and the Scotia Arc.

Parental care and nest guarding behaviors have been described for all major clades of Antarctic notothenioid fishes. In possible association with this reproductive behavior, there is no evidence of significant fish egg predation in notothenioids so far. Here, we report a recently ingested fish egg mass in the stomach of a large specimen of the voracious bullhead notothen Notothenia coriiceps caught in Paradise Bay, West Antarctic Peninsula, in mid-January 2019. Using molecular markers, the preyed eggs were identified as being emerald notothens Trematomus bernacchii, which enabled us to discuss aspects of the emerald notothen reproductive ecology. Our estimation of 4443 ingested eggs of 3.94 mm in average diameter, coupled with comparable literature data, suggested that this bullhead notothen ate the entire spawn. Based on an estimated age of the T. bernacchii embryos at 30 to 45 days post-fertilization, the spawning event likely occurred in December. Although it is known from a close location to our study site that emerald notothens use sponge cavities as spawning substrates with females guarding nests, we also recovered a small fragment of algae in the stomach content of the bullhead notothen, suggesting that the egg mass could have also been laid on algae. Our findings suggests that in this case of predator-prey interaction between two sympatric notothenioid species, there was a lack of effectiveness in egg protection, revealing a possible limit of egg guarding in the Antarctic ichthyofauna.

Concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and methoxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (MeO-PBDEs); are reported in specimens of fish notothenioids Chaenocephalus aceratus (SSI), Trematomus bernacchii (ERN), and Nototheniops nudifrons (NOD) from the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. Significant differences in the accumulation of 2 '-MeO-BDE-68 and 6-MeO-BDE-47 were detected among the analysed species. MeO-BDEs were significantly higher in SSI (11.7, 8.6, and 14.1 ng g-1 lw) than in NOD (1.63, 1.63, and 3.0 ng g-1 lw) in muscle, liver, and gill, respectively. Feeding ecology traits explain the accumulation patterns of MeOPBDEs. SSI has a higher feeding activity with a broader diet, followed by ERN, whereas NOD is a benthic/ sedentary fish with a narrower diet. The accumulation of PBDEs was neither species-, nor tissue-specific. The current study expands the knowledge concerning the accumulation of PBDEs and MeO-PBDEs in Antarctic marine fish and supports the importance of species-specificity in the accumulation of MeO-PBDEs.

ABSTRACT We studied the diet of non-breeding male Antarctic fur Seals Arctocephalus gazella (Peters, 1875) at two different localities of the South Shetland Islands: Stranger Point, King George Island/Isla 25 de Mayo and Duthoit Point, Nelson Island, by the analysis of 65 faecal samples collected in February 2012. Overall, Antarctic krill Euphausia superba (Dana, 1850) and fish were the main prey taxa followed by penguins and cephalopods. Myctophids were dominant among fish; Gymnoscopelus nicholsi (Gilbert, 1911) was the most important prey species at both sampling sites, followed by Electrona antarctica (Gunther, 1878) at Stranger Point and by the nototheniid Pleuragramma antarctica (Boulenger, 1902) at Duthoit Point. The relative similarity found in the dietary composition of fur seals from both locations suggest they might have been sharing common feeding areas. Our results were compared with those reported in the literature for different localities of the South Shetland Islands and the Scotia Sea region. The absence of formerly harvested demersal notothenioid species in the diet of fur seals may reflect the negative impact that commercial fisheries had on some fish populations and supports the importance of implementing long-term monitoring studies on the feeding habits of A. gazella in the area.

Although many notothenioid fishes are primarily carnivorous, some species consistently feed on macroalgae and are therefore omnivorous. Among fish, the degree of herbivory is usually reflected in the morphology of the gastrointestinal system especially intestine length. We examined a large number of juvenile and adult specimens of nine sympatric notothenioid species collected sequentially over eight summer seasons at Potter Cove, South Shetland Islands. We provide relative intestine lengths (RIL), distinct proportions of algae and animal prey in the diets (W%), and numbers of pyloric caeca for all species. The sister species Notothenia coriiceps (NOC) and N. rossii (NOR) evidenced significantly different intestinal growth over ontogeny and ate distinctly different proportions of algae and animal prey. We establish a ranking of the degree of herbivory for the fish species in the local ecosystem, and this was found to be related to their distinct feeding types and strategies. There is a correspondence between intestine length/RILs and degree of herbivory in six of the nine species analysed but no clear association between the number of pyloric caeca and degree of omnivory or carnivory. Compared to other teleosts, our results, and those in the literature, indicate modest divergence in notothenioids that include a phylogenetic decrease in the number of pyloric caeca, from 6 to 7 in most nototheniids to 2–3 in channichthyids, and a 1.8-fold difference in average relative intestine lengths which are most frequently 50–70% of body length and never exceed body length. This is consistent with the unspecialized gastrointestinal morphology that reflects the dietary and ecological plasticity of many notothenioids, exemplified by the high degree of omnivory in species such as NOC and NOR.

The knowledge of the reproductive biology of blackfin icefish Chaenocephalus aceratus in the southern Scotia Arc has been based, primarily on macroscopic observations of its maturation cycle, and lately, on histological analysis of ovaries in developing phase exclusively. Our study on reproduction of C. aceratus collected at Potter Cove (PC), South Shetland Islands (SSI), highlights the importance of histologic techniques to validate gonadal macroscopic maturity stages to estimate reliable reproductive parameters, in this work obtained from gravid females. Gonado-somatic index (GSI) of 7–21% (13.50 ± 4.20, n = 21), mature oocytes of 2.5–4.0 mm and total fecundity (TF) of 7372–17,212 oocytes/female (12,466 ± 2911, n = 13) were estimated. Although it is known that variations in the reproductive parameters of C. aceratus between areas of the Scotia Arc are linked to local environmental factors (i.e. hydrographic or biotic), we found close agreement between our results from PC and recent literature data for the South Georgia population, which also arose from the analysis of gravid females. Differently, lower GSIs and oocyte sizes, and higher TF reported lately for the offshore SSI population might be at least partially explained by the fact that these parameters were estimated from the analysis of developing ovaries. Based on our sampling and reproductive effort data, we suggest: (1) the spawning period of C. aceratus at the SSI might be more extended than previous belief, starting from late December until June; (2) the sheltered waters of PC might be a spawning site for C. aceratus, which highlights the role of nearshore areas as spawning grounds of notothenioids.

At Potter Cove, King George Island/Isla 25 de Mayo, South Shetland Islands, significant ichthyological research has been conducted in the last three decades, mainly on the general ecology of notothenioid species in demersal stages from young juveniles to adults. Nevertheless, the knowledge of the ichthyoplankton composition in the cove, necessary for the overall comprehension of the dynamics of the fish species life-cycles, remained unexplored. Here, we report the first record of the early stages of Antarctic notothenioids collected in pelagic hauls at Potter Cove in summer 2014 and 2016 at depths of 6–9 m where total bottom depth ranged 30–190 m. The ichthyoplankton was represented by members of the families Harpagiferidae, Nototheniidae and Bathydraconidae. It consists of (1) 37 larval stages (preflexion and postflexion) of the species Harpagifer antarcticus (the most abundant), Psilodraco breviceps, Lepidonotothen squamifrons, Pleuragramma antarcticum and Trematomus scotti, and (2) 15 eggs of Notothenia coriiceps, of which two larvae hatched in the aquarium. Part of this material is illustrated by photographs. The presence of early life stages of fish in the cove is linked to the major influx from the Bransfield Strait and also depends on local environmental conditions (i.e., hydrologic, water circulation). In addition to being a spawning site for Parachaenichthys charcoti, already reported in the literature, nearshore localities of the South Shetland Islands such as Potter Cove appear to also be spawning sites for N. coriiceps, H. antarcticus and Chaenocephalus aceratus.

Studies on reproduction of the dragonfishes, Bathydraconidae, are scarce, and within this family, the reproductive biology of Parachaenichthys charcoti was poorly understood. Herein we present a histologic analysis of P. charcoti ovaries together with data on reproductive effort using fish collected with trammel nets in austral summer at Potter Cove, South Shetland Islands (SSI), and compare this information with that reported for the South Georgia congener Parachaenichthys georgianus. In gravid females of P. charcoti, GSI of 16–31%, mature oocytes of 1.8–3.9 mm and total fecundity (TF) of 9025–18,937 oocytes/individual (X ± SD = 12,617 ± 4019, n = 7) were recorded. The histology of the ovaries confirmed the common characteristics of the Notothenioidei observed macroscopically, i.e., two distinct batches of oocytes, one in the previtellogenic stage (primary growing or cortical alveoli stages) and the other in vitellogenesis and likely to be released in the current season. A longer incubation period of P. charcoti compared with P. georgianus is associated to the colder waters at the SSI. Based on our sampling and reproductive effort data, together with the reported nesting behavior for P. charcoti, it is assumed that this species spawns in nearshore, sheltered waters in summer, presumably from late December to February. Spawning periods of both congeners differ from those reported for other notothenioids in the same Seasonal Pack-ice Zone, suggesting divergence in some aspects of the life strategies in the genus Parachaenichthys. Likewise, although there are no substantial differences between P. charcoti and other notothenioids regarding gonadal development, the genus Parachaenichthys shows distinct features in its reproductive strategies (e.g., higher TF) compared with other bathydraconid species.

Knowledge of the food web structure and complexity are central to better understand ecosystem functioning. A food-web approach includes both species and energy flows among them, providing a natural framework for characterizing species’ ecological roles and the mechanisms through which biodiversity influences ecosystem dynamics. Here we present for the first time a high-resolution food web for a marine ecosystem at Potter Cove (northern Antarctic Peninsula). Eleven food web properties were analyzed in order to document network complexity, structure and topology. We found a low linkage density (3.4), connectance (0.04) and omnivory percentage (45), as well as a short path length (1.8) and a low clustering coefficient (0.08). Furthermore, relating the structure of the food web to its dynamics, an exponential degree distribution (in- and out-links) was found. This suggests that the Potter Cove food web may be vulnerable if the most connected species became locally extinct. For two of the three more connected functional groups, competition overlap graphs imply high trophic interaction between demersal fish and niche specialization according to feeding strategies in amphipods. On the other hand, the prey overlap graph shows also that multiple energy pathways of carbon flux exist across benthic and pelagic habitats in the Potter Cove ecosystem. Although alternative food sources might add robustness to the web, network properties (low linkage density, connectance and omnivory) suggest fragility and potential trophic cascade effects.

Studies on feeding selectivity in Antarctic fish with comparison between diet organisms and those available in the wild are scarce. We explored this issue in Notothenia rossii (NOR) and N. coriiceps (NOC) at Potter Cove in summer 2016 to test: (1) their preference among different benthic groups, primarily species of algae and amphipods and (2) differences between these nototheniids given their distinct morphology but their known similar general ecology in the fjords. The methodology included a comparative analysis of benthic organisms identified in the stomachs and those collected on macroalgal beds (Ivlev Index). Benthic amphipods, mainly Gondogeneia antarctica and Cheirimedon femoratus, followed by macroalgae, mainly Palmaria decipiens and Desmarestia spp., were the most important and frequent dietary items (IRI%) for both nototheniids. However, NOC was more herbivorous and fed more intensively on a wider diversity of benthic organisms such as certain algal-associated groups like gastropods and bivalves, whereas NOR fed on a greater proportion of epibenthic amphipods and other epibenthic prey. Although in the last three decades the physiognomy of the inner cove has been changed due to the retreat of the Fourcade Glacier, at our sampling site in the outer cove the abundance and vertical distribution of macroalgae did not show substantial changes compared with those reported in the literature in 1994–1996. Temporal differences in the feeding selectivity of NOC on amphipod species, between contemporary and historical samples, may be explained by variations in the assemblage of the algal-associated epifauna. We suggest factors that may have produced these changes.

Laboratorio de Química Ambiental, Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales (CCTCONICET Mendoza). Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Argentina. Toxicological Center, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Belgium. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas (CCT-CONICET Mendoza). Instituto Antártico Argentino. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales Bernardino Rivadavia-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

In the present study, the possible associations between selected persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and biological factors were assessed in different tissues of two Antarctic notothenioid fish: Notothenia rossii (NOR) and Trematomus newnesi (TRN) collected at Potter Cove, King George Island/Isla 25 de Mayo, South Shetland Islands. Specifically, association patterns between biological factors (body size, lipid content, body condition) and POP concentrations (polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and metabolites, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), chlordanes (CHLs) and methoxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (MeO-PBDEs)), were explored by using two approaches: multivariate analyses (principal component analysis: PCA) and intraspecific correlations. Integrating results suggest that biological factors such as size, KI and tissue type seemed to be associated to selective accumulation of POPs for immature specimens of N. rossii, and KI and tissue type for mature specimens of T. newnesi. Each particular factor should be considered when choosing N. rossii or T. newnesi as sentinels for POPs pollution in Antarctic marine environments. Further, both nototheniids showed a selective accumulation pattern in their gonads of penta-chlorinated biphenyls (penta-CBs; 55.5 and 29 ng g(-1) lw for N. rossii and T. newnesi, respectively) and organochlorine pesticides such as DDTs (199 and 13.3 ng g(-1) lw, for N. rossii and T. newnesi respectively), and of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in gills (97.2 and 22.1 for ng g(-1) lw, for N. rossii and T. newnesi, respectively), highlighting the importance of these tissues in monitoring studies of pollution in fish. The current study expands the knowledge concerning the biological factors to be investigated when specific pollutants are monitored and supports the importance of tissue type for the selective accumulation of POPs in Antarctic fish. Additionally, a contribution to the scarce data on concentration of MeO-PBDEs in Antarctic marine organisms, particularly in the highly diverse perciform suborder Notothenioidei is provided.

Owing to commercial fishing during the late 1970s/early 1980s, targeted notothenioid species had become depleted around the South Shetland Islands. Herein we report subsequent changes in the prevalence of three species, Notothenia rossii , Gobionotothen gibberifrons and Notothenia coriiceps in Potter Cove, King George Islands/Isla 25 de Mayo, in a 33-year effort to monitor recovery. N. rossii and G. gibberifrons had been severely impacted by industrial fishing but in offshore waters N. coriiceps had never been commercially fished; however, all three species exhibit similar nearshore habitats and life history. We examined composition in trammel net catches during 2012–2016, augmenting a time series started in 1983. Our inshore results were consistent with those from offshore bottom trawl sampling in 2007 and 2012 around the South Shetland Islands: (1) continued increase in the abundance of N. rossii ; (2) further decline in G. gibberifrons recruitment evidenced by low proportions of juvenile fish; and (3) a high abundance of N. coriiceps . Reasons for lack of recovery in G. gibberifrons remain obscure but seemingly relate to the dramatically changing ecosystem of the region due in part to climate as well as recovery among previously depleted upper trophic level species. Our results are also consistent with trends reported in seabirds that feed on juveniles of these notothenioids: decrease in the areas commercially fished. Under the regulation of CCAMLR, commercial fishing for finfish in the South Shetland Islands region (FAO Subarea 48.1) remains prohibited since 1991; results indicate that it cannot be reinstated.

This study aims to provide consistent information to explain the steady declining trend in the number of breeding pairs of Antarctic shag Phalacrocorax bransfieldensis in two colonies on Nelson Island, South Shetland Islands, southern Atlantic sector of Antarctica, which was observed during the 1990s up to the mid 2000s over an overall monitoring period of over two decades. It addresses correspondence between long-term population trends of inshore demersal fish and inshore-feeding Antarctic shags of this area, where an intensive commercial fishery for shag prey once operated. The analysis also includes comparable information on diet (by examination of regurgitated pellets), foraging patterns, and breeding output of shags from the Danco Coast, western Antarctic Peninsula, an area where no commercial finfish fishery has ever existed. Integral study of these parameters there showed that, in Antarctic shags, low breeding success and high foraging effort might imply low recruitment and high adult mortality, respectively, with both factors adversely affecting the population trends of this bird. In line with these premises, the declining trend observed in shag colonies on the South Shetland Islands appears to have been influenced by the concomitant decrease in abundance of two of their main prey, the nototheniids Notothenia rossii and Gobionotothen gibberifrons, due to intensive industrial fishing in the area in the late 1970s. In comparison, no such pattern occurred for the Danco Coast colonies.

The evolution of the marine benthic fauna of Antarctica has been shaped by geological and climatic atmospheric factors such as the geographic isolation of the continent and the subsequent installation of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC). Despite this isolation process, strong biogeographic links still exist between marine fauna from the Antarctic Peninsula and southern South America. Recent studies in different taxa have shown, for example, that shallow benthic organisms with long larval stages maintained contact after the physical separation of the continents and divergence may be associated with the intensification of the ACC in the late Miocene—early Pliocene. In this context, here we performed phylogenetic reconstructions and estimated the level of molecular divergence between congeneric species of Harpagifer , a marine notothenioid from the Antarctic Peninsula ( Harpagifer antarcticus ) and Patagonia ( H. bispinis ) using the mitochondrial control region. Phylogenies were reconstructed using Maximum Parsimony and Bayesian Inference, while the divergence time of H. antarcticus and H. bispinis was estimated following a relaxed Bayesian approach and assuming a strict molecular clock hypothesis. According to our estimation, the divergence between H. bispinis and H. antarcticus is more recent than expected if it was associated with the intensification of the ACC during the mid to late Miocene. We propose that climatic and oceanographic changes during the coldest periods of the Quaternary (i.e., Great Patagonian Glaciation, 1–0.9 Ma) and the northward migration of the Antarctic Polar Front may have assisted the colonization of southern South America by Harpagifer , from the Antarctic Peninsula via the Scotia Arc Islands.

Although it has been reported that Notothenia rossii elsewhere hatches in spring, our daily increment back-counting from the capture date in otoliths of fingerlings caught in Potter Cove, South Shetland Islands, in the 2000s, showed two main periods of larval hatching, one in summer (February–March) and another in winter (July). In concordance, the simultaneous presence of two cohorts born the same year was identified in the age/length frequency distribution of fish sampled in spring 2010, which belonged to biological ages 0+ and 1+ and hatched, respectively, in summer and winter–spring. Maximum and minimum ages of pelagic blue-phase and demersal brown-phase fingerlings were, respectively, 227 and 240 days, indicating a demersal settlement after about 8 months from hatching. The estimated growth rate was 0.23–0.33 mm/day, equivalent to that of South Georgia fingerlings and higher than those of other nototheniids of similar size range. Based on early life events associated with the hatching periods, two types of life cycles are hypothesised for South Shetland fingerlings. The pelagic blue-phase fingerlings (6.5–7.6 cm TL, age group 0+) hatched in July (winter cohort), entering in Potter Cove in February–March. The brown-phase fingerlings (6.3–10.6 cm, mostly of age group 0+) hatched in February–March (summer cohort) and were collected in the cove in spring (the smaller specimens) or in summer (the larger ones). Finally, early juveniles (10.7–15.5 cm, age group 1+) hatched in winter, mainly in July (winter cohort), entering in the cove the following year to spend the second winter inshore.

In the present work, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodi-phenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and metabolites, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) were analyzed in three Antarctic notothenioids fish species: Trematomus newnesi (TRN), Notothenia coriiceps (NOC) and Notothenia rossii (NOR). The contribution of each POP-family to the total load was as follows: Sigma PCB (40%) > Sigma DDT (27%) > Sigma PBDEs (23%) > Sigma HCH (10%). Among the 23 PCB congeners analyzed, penta-CBs homologues were the prevalent group, followed by hexa-CBs and hepta-CBs. DDT and its metabolites presented the following trend: p,p'-DDT > p,p'-DDE similar to p,p'-DDD. PBDE profile was dominated by BDE-47 and BDE-99 congeners, followed by BDE-100 > BDE-28 > BDE-154, BDE-153. Among HCHs, the gamma-HCH isomer was detected in all samples, constituting 69% total HCH load, while alpha-HCH and beta-HCH contributions were 15% and 16%, respectively.The levels of POPs reported here suggest that NOR and NOC are more susceptible to accumulate the analyzed contaminants than TRN, a species not previously analyzed for POPs.Distribution of POPs among different tissues of the three species (muscle, liver, gonads, and gills) was also investigated. Considering lipid weight, the general pattern-of POPs distribution in tissues indicated that while gonads showed higher levels of PCBs, DDTs and HCH, the most significant PBDE concentrations were recorded in gills. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.