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.

Data from tagged patagonian toothfish recaptured in the SIOFA area are not usually reported as there are not a tagging program for the fishing vessels operating in the area. Most of the notified recaptures come from fish tagged in the CCAMLR Convention Area. Eleven tagged specimens of patagonian toothfish (D. eleginoides) that have been released in the CCAMLR management area have been recovered by two Spanish vessels fishing in the Indian ocean within the  SIOFA management area. Information about these recaptures is presented.

Myctophids apparently represent the second largest (after krill) and most widely distributed biological resources in the Antarctic waters, which are the important food sources of top predators, particularly penguins. However, the information on age of those fishes are very limited and inconsistent. Moreover, the data on trophic relationship between penguins and myctophid fishes are scarce, so more quantitative and explicit studies on those relationships are required in order to assess the role of myctophids in the Antarctic ecosystem. Using the otolith samples collected from King and Macaroni penguins in the Marion Island, the present study examined the age determination and precision of age estimation on two myctophid fishes, Electrona carlsbergi and Protomyctophum bolini. The results demonstrated that otolith section can be used to discriminate the fish species. The coefficient of variation (CV) and average percent error (APE) of ring readings on otolith section are stable for E. carlsbergi but decrease for P. bolini between two readers through repeat reading runs 1 to 3. The age structures of E. carlsbergi are 1.0 to 5.5 years and 2.0 to 5.0 years from King penguins and Macaroni penguin, respectively. The age structures of P. bolini are 0.5 to 4.0 years and 1.5 to 4.0 years from King penguins and Macaroni penguin, respectively. Compared to Macaroni penguin, King penguins fed more on small E. carlsbergi and P. bolini.