CCAMLR

Beach debris surveys were carried out at two sites in the South Sandwich Islands (CCAMLR sub-area 48.4) during the 1996/7 austral summer. Two surveys of a north-east facing beach (1 km length) at Demon Point, Candlemas Island were made, separated by exactly one month, in January and February 1997. A single opportunistic survey of a west-facing beach (c. 200 m length) at Ollivant Point, Saunders Island, was made in late January 1997. Incidental observations were n1ade on several other islands in the group.

Only 8 items were found in the initial survey of Demon Point, Candlemas Island. However, during the subsequent month, 26 further items of debris were washed onto the beach. This rate of deposition is similar to, but at the lower end of, the range reported from beaches on Signy Island, South Orkney Islands during the years 1991-1996. At Ollivant Point 57 items of debris were found, the majority (70%) being pieces of driftwood which had probably been in situ for at least several years. Many smaller types of debris are likely to have a short residence time on any beach in the South Sandwich Islands, due to their great exposure and instability, and the uniformly heavy, often stormy, swell.

The majority of the items recovered on Demon Point, Candlemas Island, were plastic or polystyrene (6 out of 8 items or 75% of initial survey, 23 out of 26 items or 88% of second survey). Of the 29 such items, 12 were plastic bottles or containers and 16 were whole or fragmented fishing net floats (incidental observations indicated that net floats were present on many beaches in the archipelago). No fragments of net or synthetic fishing line, or packaging bands, were noted on any beach visited in the archipelago. A single entangled female fur seal was freed from a fishing net on Candlemas Island, but no other instances of entanglement or injury to fauna were noted.

It was possible to identify the country of origin or manufacture of a small proportion of the debris. Attibutable items originated from Argentina and Japan (2 each), Chile and Russia (1 each).

Despite the extremely remote location of the South Sandwich Islands, these results show that the quantity and rate of deposition of marine debris on the islands' beaches is significant, but low when compared to rates found at Signy Island, South Orkney Islands and Bird Island, South Georgia. However, because of the exposure of beaches in the South Sandwich Islands to heavy and often stormy swell, debris washed ashore is likely to to have only a short residence time before being washed back to sea.

The total absence of nylon line fragments or packing bands is significant given their high frequency of occurrence at Bird Island and Signy Island respectively. This both confirms there is little or no fishing activity around the South Sandwich Islands at present and suggests that these types of fishery debris are not carried to the archipelago from active fisheries around South Georgia and the South Orkney Islands.

This paper describes the trial of VMS equipment on Australian licensed fishing vessels operating in the Convention Area during the 1996/97 season. The benefits to fisheries managers and individual fishers are detailed, together with the operational costs of VMS equipment. A range of conclusions are drawn from the trial; notably that VMS is a cost effective measure for a flag State to monitor fishing activities of its vessels and that VMS offers a range of capabilities that cannot be readily achieved by other means. The paper recommends that all CCAMLR Members implement VMS and, through its use, help in detecting those fishing vessels which are not monitored or which may be acting in contravention to CCAMLR objectives.

The seventh annual beach debris survey was carried out at Signy Island, South Orkney Islands during the 1996/97 austral summer. Debris was cleared each month between December and March from three study beaches, Cummings Cove, Foca Cove and Starfish Cove. The debris was counted, measured and classified by type, material, weight and size categories. Logistical difficulties prevented a January survey from being carried out at Cummings Cove. A total of 34 items weighing 1.61 kg were collected at Cummings Cove, 18 items weighing 1.42 kg were found at Foca Cove and 6 items with a total weight of 0.68 kg were found at Starfish Cove. The total amount of marine debris collected from the three beaches was the lowest recorded since the surveys began in 1990, both in terms of weight and number of items. This follows a continuing downward trend since 1993/94. The proportion of plastic items found remained high, accounting for 79% of all items found. Despite the ban on the use of packaging bands aboard fishing vessels which was brought into force by CCAMLR in 1996, almost half (49%) of the plastic items found at Signy were packaging bands. These had all been cut. Although the amount of debris collected at Signy Island in 1996/97 was the lowest ever recorded, the considerable number of packaging bands still being washed ashore indicates that CCAMLR members must take further steps to ensure that vessels are aware of, and comply with, regulations preventing the disposal of debris in the Southern Ocean.

The sixth year of surveys of beached man-made debris at Bird Island, South Georgia revealed a total of 710 items, 2% less than the record total of 725 items in 1994/95. However, whereas the total amount of debris collected during the winter (April-September) was 40% lower than in 1994/95, the number of items collected at the end of summer (March) was 75% greater than the previous year, which was itself an 8-fold increase over any earlier value. Nylon line, identical with that attached to longline gear, accounted for 77% of items, nearly all of which clearly originated from fishing vessels. The continuing high levels of man-made debris and the recent rapid increase in levels during summer, coinciding with increases in entanglement of Antarctic fur seals, is of growing concern. Furthermore, despite the CCAMLR ban on the use of packaging bands being in force during 1995/96, the total number of packaging bands found ashore was the highest for many years, as was the proportion of these which were uncut. CCAMLR needs to take further steps to counteract the current trend of increase in amounts of man-made debris being jettisoned into the Southern Ocean.