CCAMLR

A draft MPA Report for the East Antarctica Planning Domain was submitted to WG-EMM in 2014 (WG-EMM-14/48). It was regarded as a suitable synthesis of papers previously submitted and reviewed by the Scientific Committee, Working Groups and workshops since 2010. It has been updated following advice from Members of WG-EMM in 2014. This updated report is provided in three parts: Part 1 - The planning domain and candidate MPAs (WG-EMM-14/48, Sections 1, 2, and 3), Part 2 - Description of the proposed EARSMPA, the individual MPAs and Activities in the Planning Domain (WG-EMM-14/48, Sections 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8), and Part 3 - Research and Monitoring (WG-EMM-14/48, Sections 1 and 9). This paper provides the first part, with the following sections:  (1) Introduction, (2) Objectives for the planning domain, (3) Description of the planning domain, (4) Method for determining candidate MPAs, (5) Identification of candidate MPAs, (6) Analysis of outcomes, (7) Data holdings at the Secretariat. Parts 2 & 3 are presented in SC-CAMLR-XXXIII/BG/39 and SC-CAMLR-XXXIII/BG/40.

This paper presents correlative species distribution modelling methods that could be used to predict the circumpolar distribution of habitat suitability for Antarctic toothfish. Potential environmental covariates that could be included in these models are presented for discussion and feedback, as are the types of CCAMLR data (i.e. presence of the species and/or attributes) and modelling algorithms that may be included in future work. Methods for dealing with issues such as sampling bias in model fitting, extrapolation in model predictions and spatial sorting bias in model evaluation are also suggested and highlighted for discussion. Preliminary results are provided to demonstrate the application of two methods (BIOCLIM and Maxent). For simplicity models included two environmental covariates (bathymetry and latitude) and default model settings were used. Evaluation of prediction accuracy included a select number of test statistic (i.e. AUC, max Kappa and point-biserial correlation) with some preliminary consideration of spatial sorting bias.

A few years after krill (Euphausia superba) fishing had started in 1972/73, it became known that early life stages of Antarctic fish are associated with krill aggregations and are subject to by-catch in fisheries targeting krill. The species composition of fish by-catch in krill fisheries is well-known from Polish investigations in the late 1970s and the 1980s and from Japanese, Ukrainian, and Russian investigations in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. However, only a few investigations in the 1990s and 2000s made attempts to estimate the quantity of by-caught fish. They demonstrated that, on occasions, the by-catch was substantial. Fish by-catch in krill fisheries has been discussed in WG-FSA since the mid-1980s. However, the problem has been largely neglected subsequently to the extent that more than 25 years later WG-FSA is still not in the position to estimate the amount of fish by-catch reliably and to decide on the significance of the problem. Modelling approaches conducted recently in Norway to resolve the problem are encouraging. To make further progress, a broad outline of a programme is presented for further discussion in WG-FSA in October 2014.

Cooperation between the Scientific Committee of CCAMLR (SC-CAMLR) and the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP) has been steadily increasing over the last few years to the mutual benefit of both. In order to avoid duplicate reporting between the two committees, and following discussions between the Chairs of the CEP and SC-CAMLR, the report of the CEP meeting is presented to SC-CAMLR by the CEP Observer to SC-CAMLR and the report of the meeting of  SC-CAMLR is presented to the CEP by the SC-CAMLR observer to the CEP. An agreed standard reporting template, to be routinely followed by both committees, has also clarified and simplified the reciprocal reporting.  Accordingly this report provides the CEP’s annual report to SC-CAMLR XXXIII. A highlight of the 2014 CEP meeting was a proposal for a second joint CEP-SC-CAMLR workshop.