CCAMLR

So far in 2008/09, the Secretariat has received 30 VME-indicator notifications from exploratory bottom fisheries (Conservation Measure 22-07). These notifications were from Subarea 48.6 (1 notification, 5.5 VME-indicator units per line segment, seafloor depth 880-980 m), Subarea 88.1 (18 notifications, 5.0-68.6 VME-indicator units per segment, depth 585-1528 m) and Subarea 88.2 (11 notifications, 5.1-10.4 VME-indicator units per segment, depth 1272-1694 m). No notification has been made in relation to fishing in Divisions 58.4.1, 58.4.2 and 58.4.3b. The notifications resulted in the declaration of seven risk areas in Subareas 88.1 and 88.2, and one VME FS rectangle was identified in Subarea 88.2. In addition, the Secretariat has received 30 notifications of encounters with VMEs during the course of research surveys conducted by the U.S.A. in Subarea 48.1 (17 notifications, seafloor depth 92-642 m) and Subarea 48.2 (11 notifications, depth 96-252 m), and by Australia in Division 58.4.1 (2 notifications, depth 436-844 m). These encounters were detected using in-situ photography and benthic/bottom trawls, and notifications were made under CM 22-06. Under conservation measures in force, Subarea 48.1 and SSRU H in Division 58.4.1 (where the 2 encounters were notified) are closed to bottom fishing. Bottom fishing for crabs is permitted in Subarea 48.2; however no fishing will occur in 2008/09. Vessels fishing in exploratory bottom fisheries were requested to record, to the extent possible, fine-scale data on VME-indicator units recovered. Thirteen of the 18 vessels fishing reported VME data for 853 (43 %) of 1964 longline hauls reported in the fine-scale catch and effort data. Scientific observers also collected detailed information on the composition of VME-indicator taxa caught in the fisheries in Subareas 48.6, 88.1 and 88.2 and Division 58.4.3b. No scientific observer data were available from Divisions 58.4.1 or 58.4.2 at the time of writing this report.

Seven Members submitted notifications for a total 13 vessels for krill fisheries in Subareas 48.1, 48.2, 48.3 and 48.4 and Divisions 58.4.1 and 58.4.2 in 2009/10. In addition, Norway notified for an exploratory fishery for krill in Subarea 48.6.

Five Members (6 vessels) are fishing for krill in Area 48 in 2008/09, and have taken 82849 t of krill to date (Norway 33482 t, Korea 23522 t, Japan 13515 t, Russia 9654 t, Poland 2676 t). Most of this catch was taken in Subarea 48.2 (51316 t) with the remainder in Subarea 48.1 (31533 t). The forecast total catch of krill for the current season falls in the range 109000-147000 t. This compares with 156521 t of krill reported in STATLANT data in 2007/08. Recent developments in the krill fishery include: improvements in the ‘haul-by-haul’ data from the continuous fishing system; a Ukrainian project to process and submit historic haul-by-haul data from approximately 57 expedition logbooks from the Soviet krill fishing fleet; and proposed improvements to conservation measures which apply to krill fisheries. The report also includes information on krill stocks, parameter estimation and stock assessment.

The CCAMLR Ecosystem Monitoring Program (CEMP) uses indices derived from data on indicator species collected by standard methods in the three Integrated Study Regions of the Convention Area. Each year the Secretariat updates the standardised index values and provides a summary of trends and anomalies in these data. This report covers biological indices only. Six Members submitted data for 11 sites and 12 CEMP parameters in 2008/09. This continues a decreasing trend in the amounts of data being submitted to the CCAMLR database. No data was received from CEMP sites in Area 88. Since 1989/90, a total of 110 anomalous values (anomalies, see Appendix 1) have been observed in the times series of biological indices. Over that time period, 8 or more anomalies per season were observed in six seasons including 2008/09 when the following anomalies were observed:

• Low number of chicks fledged per egg laid (A6a) for Gentoo penguins at Bird Island;
• Low fledging weight (A7) for Macaroni and Gentoo penguins at Bird Island;
• Low pup growth rate deviate (C2b) for Antarctic fur seals (male and female) at Bird Island;
• Low number of chicks fledged per egg laid (A6a) for Adelie penguins at Signy Island;
• Low stomach contents weight (A8a) for Chinstrap penguins at Signy Island;
• High number of breeding pairs (A3) for Gentoo penguins at Admiralty Bay;
• High number of breeding pairs (A3) for Chinstrap and Gentoo penguins at Cape Shirreff;
• High number of breeding pairs (A3) for Adelie penguins at Esperanza Station;
• High number of breeding pairs (A3) for Macaroni penguins at Marion Island; and
• High number of breeding pairs (A3) for Adelie penguins at Stranger Point Station.

This paper presents a time series of relevant data reported from scientific observations in the CCAMLR krill fishery: 1999/2000 to 2007/08.