CCAMLR

Research fishing conducted under CM 24-01 requires that research catch limits be assigned to individual vessels or groups of vessels for purposes of completing the proposed research.  For fish stocks already subject to non-zero total catch limits, e.g. based on agreed stock assessments, deducting research catch limits can result in forgone catch for other vessels participating in the Olympic fishery.

We propose a simple and transparent mechanism by which research catch limits assigned to effort-limited research proposals under CM 24-01 may be calculated in a transparent manner. Deviations between actual and expected research catches from fixed-effort surveys could be deducted from total catch limits in the following year, to ensure that survey objectives are not compromised while simultaneously ensuring that other vessels operating in the same fishery are not disadvantaged and continue to prioritise and support the development of research proposals to improve stock assessment.

1. In 2006, CCAMLR adopted Conservation Measure 32-18 on the conservation of sharks. The measure prohibits “directed fishing on shark species in the Convention Area…” and calls for the live release of incidentally-caught sharks where possible. The measure is, however, silent on the practice of shark finning should incidental catches of sharks occur. The delegations of Brazil, Chile, European Union, and USA propose to amend CCAMLR Conservation Measure 32-18 to require that all fins of any shark that is incidentally caught and cannot be released alive remain naturally attached to the point of first landing. This is consistent with United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolutions adopted by consensus every year since 2007.

With this working paper the Delegation of Germany calls attention to the background document SC-CAMLR-XXXIII/BG/02. The document (in its final version) provides the scientific basis for the evaluation of marine protected areas (MPAs) in the Weddell Sea. At present the background document presents a comprehensive yet incomplete first version with chapters that have to be (further) developed or revised. The contents and structure of the document reflect also its main objectives, i.e. (i) to set out the general background and context of the establishment of MPAs, (ii) to describe the boundaries of the Weddell Sea MPA Planning Area, (iii) to inform on the data retrieval process, (iv) to provide - for the first time - a comprehensive, yet succinct, general description of the Weddell Sea ecosystem to reflect the state of the science, and additionally to present the results of the various preliminary scientific analyses that were carried out so far within the framework of the MPA Weddell Sea project, and finally (v) to describe future work beyond the development of the scientific basis for the evaluation of a Weddell Sea MPA.

Furthermore, the Delegation of Germany shortly updates the Scientific Committee on the actual state and on the further process of our project.