CCAMLR

Analysis of the fishing fleet operation is one of preconditions of krill fishery small-scale management units determination. In this work the available data of haul by haul catch statistics for the Soviet krill fishery in subdivision 48.3 for 1986-1980 (15 thousand hauls) were analyzed. During the fishing season from April to September two basic fishing grounds with a quazi-stationary boundary between them located at 37-37 30’ W have been distinguished. These fishing grounds are formed along the outside periphery of the doubling off- Island current of anticyclone pattern at the points of this current contact with the Weddell sea water flow (the eastern ground) and the Antarctic circumpolar current (the western ground). Temporal-spatial variability of these grounds has been analyzed. The eastern fishing ground existed for a longer time period - basically from April to August, while the western ground - from August to September (in some years from June to September). The third fishing ground is distinguished in the area of underwater elevation formed by Shag Rocks in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current meander.
On the basis of the materials presented some aspects of krill fishery and krill consuming animals interrelations were considered and the conclusion was made about possible baselessness of the hypothesis of competition between these species for krill resources.

The purpose of this paper was estimating commercial fleet impact on krill population in different months over 1987-1990 fishing seasons, during which the Soviet fleet’s yields from Subareas 48.2 and 48.3 amounted to at least 95% of total catch. The calculations were based on the Soviet fleet haul-by-haul data using a model of probabilistic-statistical theory of fishery systems developed in the AtlantNIRO. Intensity of commercial fleet impact on krill population, on biomass and density of krill aggregated in the fishing grounds was assessed basing on 22800 haul data. The analysis of Soviet fleet operation during the seasons of its largest fishing pressing shows no fishing effect on the krill stock and, consequently, on krill-dependent predators. Krill fishery, neither by the removal value nor by intensity, was competitive with dependent predators for the krill resource. In this case, a certain spatial overlap of the ecological niche of dependent species and the fishery has taken place rather than functional overlap.

The Ross Sea is a well-defined embayment of Antarctica about the size of southern Europe, bounded by Victoria Land to the west; King Edward VII Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land, to the east; the Ross Ice Shelf to the south; and the Southern Ocean, Pacific Sector, to the north. Its waters are composed of two related biotic systems: the Ross Sea Shelf Ecosystem (RSShE) and the Ross Sea Slope Ecosystem (RSSlE). The RSShE is the last Large Marine Ecosystems on Earth (except the Weddell Sea) that has escaped direct anthropogenic alteration; the RSSlE, similar to all of Earth’s other marine ecosystems, has lost its large baleen whales but otherwise is intact. A huge multidisciplinary, international scientific effort has been invested in studies of the geology, physics and biology of the Ross Sea over the past 45 years. In particular the activities of the US, NZ and Italian Antarctic programs have been a model of international scientific cooperation and collaboration. The successful result is an incredible wealth of knowledge, including long-term biological data sets, not available anywhere else in the Antarctic, that have documented clear signals of climate forcing, as well as top-down influences not confused by human exploitation or activity. Ironically, much remains unknown about how these ecosystems function. The Ross Sea is off limits to mineral extraction, but pressures on its biological resources are growing. The economic value of the resources should be weighed against the value of the system as a unique scientific resource. The Ross Sea represents an unparalleled natural laboratory in which the results of different fishery management strategies can be modeled in the context of short-term and decadal variation in biological populations, with these models applied elsewhere in the Southern Ocean and the World.

Management at Cape Royds aims to:
• avoid degradation of, or substantial risk to, the values of the Area by preventing unnecessary human disturbance to the Area;
• allow scientific research on the ecosystem, and in particular on the avifauna in the Area, while ensuring protection from over-sampling;
• minimize the possibility of introduction of alien plants, animals and microbes into the Area;
• allow visits for management purposes in support of the aims of the management plan.

Management at Western Bransfield Strait aims to:
• avoid degradation of, or substantial risk to, the values of the Area by preventing unnecessary human disturbance;
• allow scientific research on the marine environment while ensuring protection from oversampling;
• allow other scientific research within the Area provided it will not compromise the values for which the Area is protected;
• allow visits for management purposes in support of the aims of the management plan.

Management at Eastern Dallmann Bay aims to:
• avoid degradation of, or substantial risk to, the values of the Area by preventing unnecessary human disturbance;
• allow scientific research on the marine environment while ensuring protection from oversampling;
• allow other scientific research within the Area provided it will not compromise the values for which the Area is protected;
• allow visits for management purposes in support of the aims of the management plan.

The Area proposed for special protection is a small and narrow strip of waters extending approximately 9.5 km in length immediately to the south of Terra Nova Bay Station and up to a maximum of 7 km from the shore. The total area of the proposed site is just under 30 km2.
The boundaries proposed have been selected on the basis of the following criteria:
a) the proposed area encompasses the marine sites of primary scientific interest close to the coast and south of the station, within which long-term data have been collected;
b) the waters and benthic communities down to 200 m in depth are of greatest scientific interest, and the boundaries have been designed so as to include most of this region;
c) lines of latitude and longitude in the north, east and south offer a clear and practical definition of boundary coordinates which can be readily identified on maps and by ship navigation systems;
d) the need to ensure practical access by ships to Terra Nova Bay Station and that the associated operational activities were not unduly impeded;
e) the length of the proposed area ensures there is a gradient of distance from the station, which is useful when monitoring the extent of potential station impacts;
f) the marine area adjacent to the local Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) colony is included, which is considered potentially useful for monitoring the marine influence of the colony as a comparison to human influences. Special protection of the colony per se, however, is not considered necessary to meet the aims and objectives of the proposed management plan.