CCAMLR

This paper summarises the data collected by Scientific Observers operating in the Convention Area on board longline and finfish trawl vessels during the 2014 season (based on data received by the Secretariat up to 01 Oct 2014).

Information on observer coverage, incidental mortality (including the implementation of mitigation related CMs), tagging and conversion factors is presented.

This paper is Part 3 of an update of the draft MPA Report for the East Antarctica Planning Domain presented in paper WG-EMM-14/48 following advice from WG-EMM in 2014. The rationale for the three parts is provided in SC-CAMLR-XXXIII/BG/38. This paper provides a more detailed account of research and monitoring in the East Antarctica Planning Domain and how this can form the basis of a research and monitoring program to support the East Antarctica Representative System of Marine Protected Areas. It is an update of SC-CAMLR-IM-1/BG/1, which was submitted to the first intersessional meeting of the Scientific Committee in Bremerhaven, Germany in 2013. Research and monitoring in East Antarctica for the purposes of CCAMLR, at present, relates to assessing the distribution and productivity of target species - Antarctic toothfish and krill - and krill predators - penguins - in the CCAMLR Ecosystem Monitoring Program. These research activities are expected to continue. When adopted, the proposed East Antarctica Representative System of Marine Protected Areas (EARSMPA) will require the establishment of a research and monitoring plan (RM Plan) related to the management and review of the MPAs. We show how the scientific initiatives currently underway in the region could be used as a foundation for a RM Plan for the EARSMPA. All Members are invited to participate in the research and monitoring activities, particularly through these initiatives. This paper is structured to first provide the text from the draft conservation measure for the EARSMPA on the priority elements of the RM Plan. Second, summaries are provided of initiatives currently underway that could provide research and monitoring in the region. Last, we assess which parts of the RM Plan would benefit from the outcomes of the initiatives.

This paper is Part 2 of an update of the draft MPA Report for the East Antarctica Planning Domain presented to WG-EMM in 2014 (WG-EMM-14/48). The draft MPA Report for the East Antarctica Planning Domain submitted to WG-EMM in 2014 was regarded as a suitable synthesis of papers previously submitted and reviewed by the Scientific Committee, Working Groups and workshops since 2010. It has been updated following advice from Members of WG-EMM in 2014.  This updated report is provided in three parts: Part 1 - The planning domain and seven candidate MPAs (WG-EMM-14/48, Sections 1, 2, and 3), Part 2 - Descriptions of the proposed EARSMPA, the four highlighted MPAs and Activities in the Planning Domain (WG-EMM-14/48, Sections 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8), and Part 3 - Research and Monitoring (WG-EMM-14/48, Sections 1 and 9). Parts 1 and 3 are presented in SC-CAMLR-XXXIII/BG/38 and SC-CAMLR-XXXIII/BG/40 respectively.
 

A draft MPA Report for the East Antarctica Planning Domain was submitted to WG-EMM in 2014 (WG-EMM-14/48). It was regarded as a suitable synthesis of papers previously submitted and reviewed by the Scientific Committee, Working Groups and workshops since 2010. It has been updated following advice from Members of WG-EMM in 2014. This updated report is provided in three parts: Part 1 - The planning domain and candidate MPAs (WG-EMM-14/48, Sections 1, 2, and 3), Part 2 - Description of the proposed EARSMPA, the individual MPAs and Activities in the Planning Domain (WG-EMM-14/48, Sections 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8), and Part 3 - Research and Monitoring (WG-EMM-14/48, Sections 1 and 9). This paper provides the first part, with the following sections:  (1) Introduction, (2) Objectives for the planning domain, (3) Description of the planning domain, (4) Method for determining candidate MPAs, (5) Identification of candidate MPAs, (6) Analysis of outcomes, (7) Data holdings at the Secretariat. Parts 2 & 3 are presented in SC-CAMLR-XXXIII/BG/39 and SC-CAMLR-XXXIII/BG/40.

This paper presents correlative species distribution modelling methods that could be used to predict the circumpolar distribution of habitat suitability for Antarctic toothfish. Potential environmental covariates that could be included in these models are presented for discussion and feedback, as are the types of CCAMLR data (i.e. presence of the species and/or attributes) and modelling algorithms that may be included in future work. Methods for dealing with issues such as sampling bias in model fitting, extrapolation in model predictions and spatial sorting bias in model evaluation are also suggested and highlighted for discussion. Preliminary results are provided to demonstrate the application of two methods (BIOCLIM and Maxent). For simplicity models included two environmental covariates (bathymetry and latitude) and default model settings were used. Evaluation of prediction accuracy included a select number of test statistic (i.e. AUC, max Kappa and point-biserial correlation) with some preliminary consideration of spatial sorting bias.

A few years after krill (Euphausia superba) fishing had started in 1972/73, it became known that early life stages of Antarctic fish are associated with krill aggregations and are subject to by-catch in fisheries targeting krill. The species composition of fish by-catch in krill fisheries is well-known from Polish investigations in the late 1970s and the 1980s and from Japanese, Ukrainian, and Russian investigations in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. However, only a few investigations in the 1990s and 2000s made attempts to estimate the quantity of by-caught fish. They demonstrated that, on occasions, the by-catch was substantial. Fish by-catch in krill fisheries has been discussed in WG-FSA since the mid-1980s. However, the problem has been largely neglected subsequently to the extent that more than 25 years later WG-FSA is still not in the position to estimate the amount of fish by-catch reliably and to decide on the significance of the problem. Modelling approaches conducted recently in Norway to resolve the problem are encouraging. To make further progress, a broad outline of a programme is presented for further discussion in WG-FSA in October 2014.