CCAMLR

Germany intends to present the Scientific Committee the background document that provides the scientific basis for the evaluation of marine protected areas (MPAs) in the Weddell Sea. Please note, that the current state of the background document presents a comprehensive yet incomplete first version concerning chapters that have to be (further) developed or revised. The contents and structure of the document reflect also its main objectives, i.e. (i) to set out the general background and context of the establishment of MPAs, (ii) to describe the boundaries of the Weddell Sea MPA Planning Area, (iii) to inform on the data retrieval process, (iv) to provide - for the first time- a comprehensive, yet succinct, general description of the Weddell Sea ecosystem to reflect the state of the science, and additionally to present the results of the various preliminary scientific analyses that were carried out so far within the framework of the MPA Weddell Sea project, and finally (v) to describe future work beyond the development of the scientific basis for the evaluation of a Weddell Sea MPA.

Analysis of catch data from a deepwater trawl survey conducted at South Georgia and Shag Rocks in 2003 indicate that depth and region have a marked influence over demersal fish community structure at South Georgia and Shag Rocks. Three distinct, depth stratified fish assemblages were observed.  The demersal fish assemblage found on the shelf to depths of around 400m is dominated by notothenids and is comprised largely of species endemic to the Southern Ocean and Scotia Sea. At increasing depths (400-600m) diversity increases with the presence of many benthopelagic species  including Stomiiformes, Aulopiformes and  Zoarcids.  At the greatest depths sampled the demersal fish community is dominated by gadiform fishes including members of the Macrouridae and Moridae many of which are not endemic to the Southern Ocean. Clear regional differences in the shelf community are apparent with differences observed in community structure between South Georgia and Shag Rocks to depths of around 400m. The biogeographic patterns observed in demersal fishes show similar trends to those seen in a range of other taxa such as crustaceans.

Patagonian and Antarctic toothfish are traded internationally and considered to be of great commercial importance to the 13 nations that actively harvest toothfish for global consumption. The major consuming nations have the most influence over toothfish trade and it is important to understand how these consumers drive commercial fishing operations. Although toothfish fisheries, by landings, are managed by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), there are currently no methods in place to monitor the volume or value of toothfish traded in the international market. Using the United Nations Commodity Trade Statistics Database (UN Comtrade), a trade analysis of import and export data records from 2007 to 2012 was conducted. The objective was to examine global patterns of trade volume and price.

The analysis focused on the ten countries most active in the trade of toothfish over the six-year analysis period. The average price ($/kg) of imports increased by 44% from 2007 to 2012 with an overall decrease in traded volume. The USA accounted for 54% of total imports and was the largest influence on overall trends. The average price of exports increased by 86.8% from 2007 to 2012 with an overall decrease in traded volume. Initial summary analyses reveal a strong relationship between supply and demand within international markets, as well as the influence of country-specific factors. This analysis contributes to the ongoing collection and analysis of data in the trade of toothfish that will be used to identify changes in the global toothfish market and assist in management efforts.