CCAMLR

Argentina presents information collected by an air surveillance mission that it carried out on 6th March 2013, that included the area of the Antarctic Peninsula (Statistic Subarea 48.1) and in which it identified seven fishing vessels, all of them being CCAMLR-licenced vessels.

CCAMLR has made progress on addressing the recommendations from the 2008 Performance Review, but the process is still incomplete. ASOC has identified 14 incomplete recommendations that require further action from CCAMLR, SC-CAMLR, and other working groups. Most of these recommendations fall under the categories of Conservation and Management and Compliance and Enforcement, and are therefore critical items to implement. Fulfilment of all outstanding Performance Review recommendations will ensure CCAMLR’s continued leadership in the management of high-seas areas.

There are a number of steps that CCAMLR and its members can take to improve the governance and control of fishing vessels in the Southern Ocean and thereby enhance safety, ecosystem-based management and environmental protection. These include mandatory requirements for appropriate ice-strengthening and obtaining IMO numbers for all vessels, reports on all vessel incidents, and notification of Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres (MRCCs) when entering or leaving Search and Rescue (SAR) areas. Additionally, it would be valuable for CCAMLR to encourage the IMO to include fishing vessels in the Polar Code at the earliest opportunity. CCAMLR Members should also support efforts to bring the new Cape Town Agreement, replacing the Torremolinos Protocol, into force, which would improve fishing vessel safety globally.

For several years, ASOC has been calling for improved management of Antarctic krill fisheries by establishing feedback management procedures, improving monitoring through a strengthened CEMP program, and requiring 100% scientific observer coverage on board krill vessels among other issues. In this paper, ASOC urges CCAMLR to implement further protective measures to prevent excessive concentration of krill fishing in coastal areas close to predator colonies in Area 48. This is of particular relevance since fishing has been concentrating heavily in coastal areas lately. ASOC also calls on CCAMLR to continue to work towards strengthening the CEMP program, requiring mandatory reporting on green weight estimation methods, and obtaining 100% observer coverage on the krill fishing fleet.