CCAMLR

This paper is presented for the Commission’s consideration and sets out the projected outcome of the budget for 2005, a draft of the 2006 budget and an indicative forecast for the 2007 budget. The presentation is in the format determined by the Commission at its 2002 Meeting.
The expenditure for 2005 is not expected to exceed income after bringing forward the surplus of A$103 200 from 2004. The relocation of the Secretariat to new premises, which include a dedicated meeting facility, will result in some one-off expenditures which cannot be quantified accurately at the time of preparing this budget.
General Services Staff salary increases in 2004 also had the effect of an increase in the Staff Assessment Levy. The increase in the Staff Assessment Levy together with an increase in income from Interest will offset some of the additional salary cost. The balance of the increase can be met from the surplus brought forward from 2004. A surplus of A$57 400 will be carried forward to 2006 and recorded as income for that year.
With the C-VMS now a key CCAMLR activity, the Commission may wish to revisit the budgetary implications of implementing the C-VMS in that contributions will increase beyond zero real growth for this function only to the extent previously identified by the Commission in 2003 (CCAMLR-XXII, paragraph 3.36). In 2004 and 2005 the C-VMS was funded from cost substitution savings achieved as a result of allocating new and exploratory fisheries expenditure against the income received from new and exploratory fisheries application fees. The 2006 budget has been framed on the basis of this cost substitution continuing, without any increase to Members’ contributions arising from C-VMS expenditure.
With the relocation of the Secretariat to new premises the rent will continue to be paid by the Australian and Tasmanian governments. Payments will be made through the Commission’s accounts and will be reflected in the annual financial statements at the end of 2005. As this will be cost-neutral to the Commission, the receipt and payments have been ignored in the preparation of the review of the 2005 Budget, the 2006 Draft Budget and the Forecast Budget for 2007.
There is no overall increase in the 2006 Budget anticipated in respect of the current tasks to be undertaken by the Secretariat.

In the beginning of February 2005, during the hauling of bottom-set longline in the Ross Sea (East Antarctic) from the depth of 1480 m to the surface a very large squid taken a large individual of Antarctic toothfish D. mawsoni (Norman, 1937) with a size of 160 cm and weight of 58 kg caught by a longline hook, was hauled up to the board of longliner VOLNA. Squid was very active and did not release its prey until under command of fish master it was beaten off by gaffs. Squid was not lifted aboard but it was registered with the use of photo- and video cameras. This allowed to determine its species belonging and size. On the opinion of the most competent specialist on squids in the Southern Hemisphere Yu.A. Philipova and our comparative observations this was giant squid Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni (Robson, 1925).

Otolith nucleus chemistry resolved the population structure of Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides), an exclusively marine species, along the Patagonian Shelf and North Scotia Ridge out to South Georgia in the Southern Ocean. Concentrations of 55Mn, 88Sr, and 137Ba, ratioed to 42Ca, showed a sharp population boundary in the vicinity of the Polar Front, between South Georgia and the North Scotia Ridge. These results validated otolith nucleus chemistry as a technique for examining population structure in Patagonian toothfish, demonstrating that otolith nucleus chemistry can discriminate between populations even in fully marine environments. Moreover, the nucleus chemistry indicated population heterogeneity not previously detected, suggesting the possibility of more than one South American population; and also suggested some South American-caught fish had moved from South Georgia.

Otolith chemistry has been successfully used to reconstruct the environmental history experienced by estuarine-dependent teleost fish, including movement between estuaries and coastal areas. However, application has been more limited in species exposed exclusively to oceanic waters, where gradients in physical and chemical properties are less extreme. To test whether otolith elemental signatures record spatial information in an oceanic species, we sampled otoliths from Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides), and used an inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) coupled to a laser ablation system to target the outer otolith edges corresponding to the period immediately prior to capture. Using multivariate analysis of variance and multivariate discriminant analysis, we found edge signatures discriminated toothfish by geographic region with near complete success: only 5% of fish caught off South America and in the Antarctic were misclassified to sampling areas in the other region. Moreover, edge signatures showed strong differences between sampling areas within each region: fish captured off South America classified to sampling areas therein with 79-84% success, and Antarctic fish to sampling areas therein with 50-67% success. These results compare favourably with rates of classification for estuarine-dependent fish, demonstrating that otolith elemental signatures can discriminate the geographic provenance of oceanic as well as estuarine-dependent fish.

Otolith chemistry has been successfully used to reconstruct the environmental history experienced by estuarine-dependent teleost fish, including movement between estuaries and coastal areas. However, application has been more limited in species exposed exclusively to oceanic waters, where gradients in physical and chemical properties are less extreme. To test whether otolith elemental signatures record spatial information in an oceanic species, we sampled otoliths from Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides), and used an inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) coupled to a laser ablation system to target the outer otolith edges corresponding to the period immediately prior to capture. Using multivariate analysis of variance and multivariate discriminant analysis, we found edge signatures discriminated toothfish by geographic region with near complete success: only 5% of fish caught off South America and in the Antarctic were misclassified to sampling areas in the other region. Moreover, edge signatures showed strong differences between sampling areas within each region: fish captured off South America classified to sampling areas therein with 79-84% success, and Antarctic fish to sampling areas therein with 50-67% success. These results compare favourably with rates of classification for estuarine-dependent fish, demonstrating that otolith elemental signatures can discriminate the geographic provenance of oceanic as well as estuarine-dependent fish.

This paper follows preliminary work in 2005 and early 2006 in developing an integrated assessment for Patagonian toothfish in Division 58.5.2. It focuses on developing an integrated assessment using CASAL and demonstrates that all of the data available for assessments, including surveys, fishery catch-at-length data, standardised catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) series for trawl grounds, and length-binned mark-recapture data, can be incorporated into the model. Earlier difficulties in using CASAL have been resolved. The results presented here indicate a general downward bias in the expected recaptures showing that the mark-recapture observations indicates a smaller stock size than the other datasets. This is consistent with the problems discussed of the potential bias of a single-area model in trying to cover a highly spatially structured stock. It is recommended that the mark-recapture data not be included in the assessment of D. eleginoides in Division 58.5.2 until the spatial structure of the mark-recapture program can be incorporated appropriately in the assessment. The assessment of long-term annual yield using CASAL, 2,306 tonnes, is less than that using the GYM, 2483 t. The reasons for this difference are discussed. We conclude that an integrated assessment using CASAL is possible for Dissostichus eleginoides in Division 58.5.2. However, as expected, the assessment will be sensitive to the inclusion of different datasets and to the choices of parameters used in both the stock assessment and projections. An important outstanding issue, relevant to stock assessments generally, is the need to provide an estimate of natural mortality. It is suggest that the assessment not include tagging data at this stage and that yields be estimated by integrating across uncertainties in natural mortality. It is also recommended that work be undertaken to understand the spatial dynamics of D. eleginoides in the region and, therefore, how best to incorporate mark-recapture data in the assessment. Until that time, recruitment surveys provide the best means of establishing current stock status.