CCAMLR

This paper introduces a draft Conservation Measure for the designation of Marine Protected Areas for the protection of habitats and communities under ice shelves, glaciers and ice tongues. Adoption of this Conservation Measure would provide for the precautionary protection of new habitats after ice shelves collapse, and for protecting the establishment of new biodiversity as it develops in these areas. The draft Conservation Measure includes relevant management provisions and outline research and monitoring provisions, allowing for more detailed plans to be developed following the actual retreat or collapse of an ice shelf in the future.

A bottom trawl survey for demersal finfish was undertaken by Germany aboard R/V ‘Polarstern’ around Elephant Island, the South Shetland Islands and at the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula from 17 March to 5 April 2012. In this paper we provide information on species composition, biomass, and size composition of the abundant fish species encountered during the survey. Catches in the Elephant Island – South Shetland Islands suggest that biomass of N. rossii and C. gunnari have increased since the last survey in 2006/07.

The delegation of New Zealand proposes the establishment by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Living Marine Resources (Commission or CCAMLR) of a marine protected area (MPA) in the Ross Sea Region (“Ross Sea Region Marine Protected Area”).  In recognition of the globally significant ecological, environmental, scientific and historic values of the Ross Sea Region, and in line with the work plan of the Scientific Committee to develop a representative system of Antarctic MPAs, the New Zealand delegation proposes to establish this MPA in order to achieve the conservation of Antarctic marine living resources.  This proposal is consistent with the general framework for establishing CCAMLR marine protected areas (CM 91-04 (2011)) and with the process by which New Zealand developed its MPA scenario, reviewed favorably by the Scientific Committee in 2011.

Further to the strong will expressed by Members at CCAMLR XXX to progress the work of the Development of a Compliance Evaluation Procedure Group, Australia coordinated intersessional work on developing a compliance evaluation procedure. Australia has developed a draft conservation measure proposing a CCAMLR Compliance Evaluation Procedure (CEP), presented at Attachment A. The purpose of the proposed CCAMLR CEP is to provide a formal mechanism for the assessment of Members' compliance against the conservation measures adopted by the Commission.  Australia proposes that the Commission adopt the attached draft conservation measure establishing a compliance evaluation procedure for CCAMLR.