CCAMLR

This report describes and quantifies occurrences of oil, marine debris and fishing gear associated with seabirds at Bird Island, South Georgia. In this, the seventh year of standardised recording, an unprecedented quantity of hooks (both with and without long-line attached) and monofilament long-line originating from fishing vessels was recorded in association with wandering albatrosses. Quantities of fishing gear remained within the levels of previous years for all other species, except black-browed albatross, which increased by133% from the previous maximum. Marine debris (the vast majority of which were plastics) showed 75% and 93% increases from the previous maxima for wandering albatross and grey-headed albatross respectively. The recently noted trend of black-browed albatrosses regurgitating marine debris continued. A single wandering albatross feather-soiled by oil was observed. Human food waste was associated with wandering albatrosses and giant petrels.

The results of the fourth annual survey of entanglement of Antarctic fur seals at Signy Island,South Orkney Islands are reported for the 1999/2000 summer season. There were five sightingsof seals wearing neck collars of man-made debris. One additional sighting was of an animal that had been previously entangled but had lost its collar by the time of observation. All of the animals involved were juvenile males, the main component of the population at this time of year.The number of sightings was the lowest ever recorded, a decrease of 50% compared to the previous season. This was despite the fact that the number of fur seals arriving at Signy Island in 1999/2000 was the highest observed since entanglement surveys began in 1996/97. Data are compared with results from a parallel study undertaken at Bird Island, South Georgia in1999/2000. These indicated that the number of entangled fur seals had also decreased (by 42%) since 1998/99. Over the past four years, fluctuations in the incidence of entanglement between years at Bird Island have been mirrored at Signy Island. ‘Severe’ and ‘very severe’ injury was being caused to 60% of animals at Signy Island, which was the lowest on record. As usual this was higher (by 46%) than the proportion of fur seals sighted with the same injuries at Bird Island.This suggests that the majority of fur seals arriving at Signy Island had been entangled for sometime and had likely been entangled in other areas, such as South Georgia, where fishing activity is higher. Fishing net was the most common entangling material at Signy Island (60%) followed by packaging bands (20%) and a neck collar made of unknown material (20%). The proportion of animals entangled in packaging bands was the second lowest recorded, a decrease of 20% compared to the previous year. At Bird Island, packaging bands were the most common entangling material, increasing by 12.5% since 1998/99. The continued presence of packaging bands, despite the CCAMLR restrictions imposed since 1995/96, may be due to their persistence in the environment or illegal un-monitored fishing activity. The decrease in the incidence of entanglement at Signy Island and Bird Island is promising. CCAMLR needs to continue this monitoring and its campaign against the disposal of man-made debris at sea.

Results of the survey of entanglements of Antarctic fur seals at Bird Island, South Georgia for thetenth consecutive winter (1999) and twelfth consecutive summer (19999/2000) are reported here. Only six entangled seals were observed during the winter, representing a 53% decrease from1998 and a 94% decrease on the highest previous total (1992). Four of these animals wereentangled in plastic packaging bands, double that observed in the 1998 winter, and a return to thehigh levels observed before the CCAMLR prohibition on their use in1994. The number ofanimals showing severe injuries was down on the 1998 winter. The number of seals observed entangled in the summer was the second lowest recorded to date,being 42% lower than in the 1998/99 season. The proportion of adult animals affected was down1% on the previous summer and constitutes the lowest total recorded. The proportion of animalsshowing severe injuries (21%) is down 4% on the previous year and is the second lowest total onrecord. The number of entanglements in polypropylene straps showed an increase by12.5% onthe 1998/99 season. The low occurrence of entanglements in summer and winter has continued the downward trendin numbers since the peak in the early 1990's. Incidences of severe injury have also decreased. Entanglements in polypropylene bands comprise the major proportion of observations, despitethe ban on their use introduced by CCAMLR. This highlights the need for sustained monitoringand continuing publicity aimed at preventing the disposal of debris at sea.

This paper provides the background essential to an informed evaluation of the financial and other consequences attached to various schedules and locations for the holding of meetings of the Working Group for Ecosystem Monitoring and Management (WG-EMM). It is concluded that the holding of WG-EMM meetings in Hobart will only result in relatively minor financial savings (A$347-613) per Member and would probably have serious consequences for the work of the Scientific Committee as a whole. Other possible savings are considered.

CCAMLR’s Working Group on Ecosystem Monitoring and Management wasestablished to provide management advice to the Scientific Committee based on anecosystem assessment. Currently, management advice is provided by a yield model,which assumes a freely distributed krill population, homogeneously distributed predationpressure and randomly determined recruitment. The effects of uncertainty with regard toinput parameters are included, but spatial and temporal trends in krill demographics,predator demand and fishing pressure are not. However, WG-EMM also maintains amonitoring program that could provide some of the information necessary to implement amore robust ecosystem approach to management. A strategic plan for assembling thesecomponents was developed at the first meeting of WG-EMM and considerable progresshas been made on a number of contributing initiatives. WG-EMM currently considers awide range of information in order to derive a qualitative description of the status of theecosystem and appropriate management actions. A full management scheme – whichwould 1) consider quantitative information from the fishery, harvested species, dependentspecies and the environment; 2) invoke a set of management decision rules based on thisinformation; and 3) determine the likely effects of management actions given theuncertainty in the information – has yet to be completely developed. Recent discussionsat WG-EMM regarding its future work and the implications for the format and venue ofits meeting are reviewed. It is recommended that the development of an integratedmanagement scheme for krill fisheries can be best achieved by involving a wide range ofexperts both from within and outside of the CCAMLR community, and that this may bebest accomplished by changing the format of the meetings and maintaining a movingvenue. Implications of these recommendations are briefly considered.