CCAMLR

In response to a request from New Zealand (COMM CIRC 15/15) the Secretariat undertook an analysis of the information provided by New Zealand in previous years (COMM CIRC 13/09), along with VMS records, CCAMLR Observer Reports and other information the Secretariat has available to facilitate further investigation. In 2013 reports of offal were tightly clustered in a small area on the border of SSRUs 88.H and J, whereas in 2015 the reports were received from a broader area. For each location where offal was reported VMS data was used to identify all vessels that had been recorded within 10 kilometres of the reported location during the 5 days preceding the date of the report. Identifying the provenance of offal found in the stomachs of toothfish is inconclusive in many cases, however, ancillary information on the specific nature of the offal and on the particular vessels identified may be helpful to refine the outcomes of the analysis in some instances.

Cooperation between the Scientific Committee of CCAMLR (SC-CAMLR) and the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP) has been steadily increasing over the last few years to the mutual benefit of both. In order to avoid duplicate reporting between the two committees, and following discussions between the Chairs of the CEP and SC-CAMLR,  the report of the CEP meeting is presented to SC-CAMLR by the CEP Observer to SC-CAMLR and the report of the meeting of  SC-CAMLR  is presented to the CEP by the SC-CAMLR observer to the CEP.  An agreed standard reporting template, to be routinely followed by both committees, has also clarified and simplified the reciprocal reporting.  Accordingly, this report provides the CEP’s annual report to SC-CAMLR-XXXIV. A highlight of the 2015 CEP meeting was further development of the second joint CEP-SC-CAMLR workshop.

The delegation of Germany has submitted the scientific background and justification for the development of a marine protected area in the Weddell Sea planning area. In accordance with the recommendations by WG-EMM-14 (SC-CAMLR-XXXIII, Annex 6), this was done in three separate documents (SC-CAMLR-XXXIV/BG/15, /BG/16 and /BG/17).

The Scientific Committee is invited to note that:

• Parts A and B of this scientific background are finalised, subject to final editorial corrections and changes;
• Part C will be further improved and extended, inter alia in the light of the recommendations made at WG-EMM 15 (report, preliminary version 2015). A further developed document will be presented to WG-EMM in 2016 with a view for the Scientific Committee to approve Part C at its meeting in 2016.

The Scientific Committee is invited to review and evaluate the documents (SC-CAMLR-XXXIV/BG/15, /BG/16 and /BG/17) and to agree that the information contained in Parts A and B represent best available science.

Whilst Resolution 30/XXVIII on Climate Change recognises global climate change as one of the greatest challenges facing the Southern Ocean, the Commission has yet to consider the issue of climate change impacts on Antarctic marine living resources and any possible responses in any substantial way.  Australia proposes the establishment of an Intersessional Correspondence Group to initiate and sustain a process for appropriately integrating climate change into the work of the Commission.  Australia also proposes that the Commission adopt Terms of Reference for the Intersessional Correspondence Group, a draft of which is provided at Attachment A.