A significant spatial-temporal variability of the oceanological environmental conditions influencing the formation of biological productivity zone in Subareas 48.5 and 48.6 is revealed. Analysis of available information for the development of the stock hypothesis for Antarctic toothfish stock in Area 48 requires consideration of environmental variability, especially with the fragmentary nature of these data at all stages of the toothfish life. Otherwise, the results may be insufficiently sound for the development of an adequate stock hypothesis for D. mawsoni in Area 48.
The development of this stock hypothesis requires the availability of actual data obtained in course of the adequate researches. Large-scale international multi-vessel surveys in Area 48 as a source of this actual data are proposed. Some proposal for these surveys have been shown in WS-SM-18/* by the Russian Federation.