CCAMLR

During late March to mid-April 2021, the annual random stratified trawl survey (RSTS) around Heard Island and McDonald Islands (HIMI) was conducted in CCAMLR Division 58.5.2, with the completion of 163 stations. The survey was conducted for the first time on the Cape Arkona. Sampling protocols such as the design and the duration of the hauls were similar to recent surveys, but with a new set of randomly selected station points.

The catch of Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) was 77.9 t – the second highest catch since the RSTS began.  The catch of mackerel icefish (Champsocephalus gunnari) was 35.7 t which represents an almost 5-fold increase in catch from 2020.

Biomass estimates for the managed by-catch species unicorn icefish (Champsocephalus rhinoceratus) showed a steady increase in catch whereas grey rockcod (Lepidonotothen squamifrons) was relatively similar to last year and the catch of Macrourus spp. has declined.  All three species of skate were caught in lower numbers than has been the case in recent years.

Length and weight measurements were taken for 21,712 fish with additional biological measurements recorded for about half of these individuals.  Otoliths were collected from 161 D. eleginoides and 116 L. squamifrons.

This paper reviews Secretariat activities over 2020/21, providing an update on staffing and delivery of the 2019–2022 Strategic Plan. The Commission and Scientific Committee should note that the Secretariat will be developing a new strategic and staffing plan in early 2022, to cover the years 2023-2026, and are requested to provide any additional guidance to the Secretariat for this process.

In accordance with a SCAF decision (SCAF-38, paragraph 48) this paper contains the Terms of Reference and Deed of Funding template for the General Science Capacity Fund (GSCF).

This paper provides a summary of the operation of the fishery forecasting algorithm for the Ross Sea toothfish fisheries for WG-FSA-2021, reviews the forecasting algorithm for fishery closures in the 2019/20 and 2020/21 fishing seasons, and considers alternative scenarios. The secretariat considers that the implementation of the forecasting procedures in place were consistent with the objective of avoiding exceed the catch limits, but some improvements to the algorithm can be discussed to improve its accuracy.

Robust stock assessments and catch limits for Dissostichus mawsoni according to CCAMLR decision rules remain to be determined for Divisions 58.4.1 and 58.4.2. Precautionary management arrangements are in place as set out in Conservation Measures 41-11 and 41-05.

WG-FSA-16/29, WG-FSA-18/59, WG-FSA-19/44, and SC-CAMLR-39/BG/10 outlined the multi-member toothfish exploratory fishery research plans for these Divisions, including the research objectives, methods, and milestones in accordance with ANNEX 24-01/A.

In this paper we report on (1) exploratory fishing activities undertaken by Australia, France, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Spain between the 2011/12 and 2020/21 fishing seasons (fishing seasons are hereafter abbreviated to the end year), as per Milestone 1.7 and (2) ageing of collected toothfish otoliths and updated estimation of biological parameters as per Milestone 1.8.

The summaries provided herein were generated using an R-Markdown document that is available to Members to facilitate standardised reporting on data collection in CCAMLR’s Exploratory Fisheries.

The pre-exploitation krill biomass estimates, B₀, is essential for generating the Precautionary Catch Limit (PCL) for sound science-based krill fishery management. In 2019, a multi-member large-scale synoptic acoustic survey was conducted to provide krill biomass estimates for Area 48, whilst various mesoscale surveys were also conducted in Subarea 48.1. Krill biomass estimates for the four US AMLR strata has been provided by WG-ASAM e-group during the 2021 intersessional period. However, krill biomass estimates for the remaining area in Subarea 48.1 as required by the Scientific Committee has not been provided yet. To facilitate the development of the new management approach, here we provide the krill biomass estimates in Subarea 48.1 based on the up-to-date available acoustic surveys.

The Delegation of Norway would like to inform the Scientific Committee that a scientific knowledge base has been compiled to enable us to progress to a workshop in early 2022 to explore and jointly develop with CAMLR members and observers a range of candidate MPAs to inform a proposal for Weddell Sea MPA Phase 2. This working paper informs the Scientific Committee on the current status of: (i) the scientific knowledge base, (ii) status of the spatial layers for spatial planning, (iii) consultative process, (iv) chronology of documentation and, (v) intended tasks to further improve the scientific knowledge base.

With this working paper the Delegation of Norway invites CCAMLR Members and Observers to participate in a Workshop within the first half of 2022. The Workshop has the following objectives: i) to bring together relevant expertise from CCAMLR Members and Observers to explore spatial planning solutions for WSMPA Phase 2 and ii) to jointly identify a range of candidate spatial planning solutions for WSMPA Phase 2.

This paper presents the diagnostics associated with the 2021 48.4 Patagonian toothfish assessment.