CCAMLR

Russian program provides proposals to study the species composition, biology, life cycle, distribution and structure of craboids stock (Anomura, Decapoda) and assess their resource potential in the Bellingshausen Sea (Subarea 88.3) and Amundsen Sea (Subarea 88.2).

Spain and Australia are conducting fishing research in the 58.4.1 Division from 2013 and 2017 respectively, in order to get data and biological samples which enable an assessment of Antarctic toothfish in this so called “data poor” area at the end of the whole experience. From the five surveys completed, the last two have been in coordination between the five proponents, namely Australia, Japan, Republic of Korea, France and Spain.

Spain and Australia are working on the ageing and growth estimates of Antarctic toothfish from 2015 and 2017 respectively. Previous work has been presented to the  FSA-WGs where a von Bertalanffy growth function based on a least-square fitting approach from length-age pair values had been estimated for every season.   An intersessional exchange of 40 “bake and embed” otolith samples, mounted by Spain, has been made in order to compare consistency in ages estimated by different readers. Each otolith were read by 6 readers (4 Spanish and 2 Australian). As a result of these comparative analysis further work about coordination between experienced and new readers is needed.

This document provides a summary of progress towards milestones and responses to recommendations from WG-SAM, WG-FSA and the Scientific Committee relating to the multi-Member research plan for the toothfish exploratory fishery in Divisions 58.4.1 and 58.4.2 between 2011/12 and 2017/18.

Table 1 provides a summary of responses to the recommendations with references to the associated outputs in this paper or the new research plan (WG-FSA-18/59). In particular, this paper presents:

• Tag-overlap statistics at the scale of the research block (Figure 1) and the distribution of tags recaptured in research block 5841_2 in 2017/18 (Figure 2)
• Progress toward the case-control estimation of effective tagging survival and effective tag-detection rates (Figure 3, Table 3)
• Report on Milestone 2.2 of WG-FSA-17/18 Rev. 1: ‘Update spatially-explicit habitat-use models for toothfish using data from CTDs and BVCs’ (Appendix 1)
• Report on Milestone 2.3 of WG-FSA-17/18 Rev. 1 ‘Sharing of environmental data with SOOS (Appendix 2)
• Report on Milestone 1.10 of WG-FSA-17/18 Rev. 1: ‘Initial integrated stock assessment models for toothfish within research blocks or across SSRUs and Divisions’ (Appendix 3 and 4)

This paper also provides a summary of planned and actual achievement dates for the milestones of the 2015/16 - 2017/18 research plan (WG-FSA-17/18 Rev. 1). Previous research milestones under the 2015/16 - 2017/18 research plan have been achieved as planned (Table 2). Reports relating to 2018 milestones (1.8, 1.9, 3.1 and 4.3) have been submitted as separate papers as indicated in Table 2.

CCAMLR has recognised the importance of Member capacity building to enhance their engagement in the work of CCAMLR. This proposal seeks to support the establishment of the General Capacity Building Fund (‘the Fund’) considered by the Intersessional Correspondence Group on Sustainable Financing and proposes a mechanism, including the establishment of a General Capacity Building Fund Panel, to support implementation of the Fund consistent with its objectives. The proposed mechanism draws on Annex 10-05/B ‘The use of the CDS fund’.  Consistent with the proposed mechanism, this paper further proposes that the Commission continue to include capacity building on its agenda to facilitate the implementation of capacity building by CCAMLR.  Finally, this paper proposes that the Commission establish a General Capacity Building Fund intersessional contact group to assist with the implementation of the Fund.