Introduction to the Symposium:Antarctic Marine Biology

Abstract

“We have added a great deal of knowledge of life in the pack from observations of the whales, seals, penguins, birds and fishes as well as of the pelagic beasts which are caught in tow-nets. Life in one form or another is very plentiful in the pack, and the struggle for existence here as elsewhere is a fascinating subject of study.”—Robert F. Scott, Scott's Last Expedition: The Journals of Captain R. F. Scott , 1913 The history of antarctic exploration, which now dates back over two full centuries, is rich with adventure, discovery and tragedy. In the early nineteenth century, the first documentations of the abundant marine life that characterized antarctic waters were revealed through the eyes of those hunting for seals including Nathaniel Palmer and James Weddell. Numerous expeditions followed these early sealers and contributed significant information on the diversity and distribution of antarctic marine life, perhaps most notably the Challenger expedition (1872–1876) led by Sir Charles Wyville Thomson. Arguably, it was the 1901–1904 British National expedition of Robert Scott that can be credited with the first true studies of antarctic marine biology. For here among Scott's men were intrepid naturalists such as Edward Wilson and Thomas Hodgson who braved the brutal …