China, Italy and Republic of Korea submitted to the next coming CEP XXII - ATCM XLII a proposal for the designation of a new Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA) at Inexpressible Island and Seaview Bay, Ross Sea. The co-proponents have prepared the draft ASPA Management Plan annexed to this paper, in accordance with the requirements of Annex V to the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty and the Revised Guide to the Preparation of Management Plans for Antarctic Specially Protected Areas (Resolution 2, 2011). The proposal is submitted to CCAMLR for its consideration, in accordance with ATCM Decision 9 (2005)

The WG-EMM noted that it’s urgent to develop the sampling protocol which can be used by the observer consistently. The WG-EMM 2019 stressed the priorities for data collection, information sharing and overall tasking for observers in the krill fishery and recommended the timeliness of holding a focused workshop. The delegation of China seek Scientific Committee’s endorsement of the draft terms of reference and the budget for the Krill Fishery Observer Workshop as described in this paper.

This paper summarises a review of the CCAMLR Marine Debris monitoring program and considers ways in which the current program could be modernised. It recommends that the Scientific Committee establish an Intersessional Correspondence Group on Marine Debris to review and revise the program, which would include defining its objectives, developing program materials, and developing an analytical approach that will allow quantification of marine debris levels across the Convention Area.

Currently, there are no standardised guidelines set by CCAMLR to calculate conversion factors for toothfish caught in New or Exploratory toothfish fisheries. As a consequence, it is likely that different methodologies for calculating conversion factors are used by SISO observers, vessels, companies and Members that operate in these fisheries. These differences could potentially introduce significant levels of variability and inaccuracy into toothfish fishery greenweight removal estimates, undermining CCAMLR’s ability to effectively track the state of the stocks and to set precautionary yields accordingly. We propose ‘best practice’ guidelines are developed for the calculation of toothfish conversion factors.

WG-EMM-2019 mapped out a revised management strategy which provides the highest likelihood that CCAMLR will be able to update its management of the krill fishery in subareas 48.1-4 by the time CM 51-07 expires. A key element of this procedure is the extension of the Risk Assessment to enable catches to be distributed across the area taking account of estimated predator demand. We request that CCAMLR allocate funds from the General Science Capacity Fund to enable this component of the strategy identified by WG-EMM-2019 it to be delivered in a timely fashion.

The Working Group stressed the urgency of standardising ageing method for krill. Information on krill age is fundamental to establishing an accurate growth curve and to calculate a recruitment index, the parameters for a GYM to estimate a sustainable yield (γ) (WG-EMM-19 Report Para 4.27). The WG-EMM 2019 recommended that the Scientific Committee identify resources to support a workshop to standardise krill ageing protocol, as outlined in WG-EMM-19/45. We seek Scientific Committee’s endorsement of the draft terms of reference and the budget for the Krill Ageing workshop as described in this paper.

Although the Ross Sea Region MPA (RSRMPA) has existed for three years, it is still unclear how research catch limits in the MPA should be allocated. The Scientific Committee's current recommendations on the allocation of allowable catch for surveys in MPAs from the TAC set for the exploratory Olympic fishery outside MPAs in the Ross Sea Region have no scientific justification and do not meet the requirements of CM 91-05. Such a transfer of TAC will have an additional impact on toothfish and the ecosystem in the MPA, and will limit the exploratory longline fishery outside the MPA which is a data source for assessment models of toothfish in the Ross Sea Region. Russia requests that the Scientific Committee identify the sources for establishing the toothfish catch limit for conducting research in the RSRMPA and endorse the source and procedures for allocating allowable catch for research purposes in the MPA in an Appendix to CM 91-05/C.

Russia considers the catch limit for any research in the Ross Sea region MPA should not be deducted from catch limits for exploratory fishing outside the MPA.

Fishery results in the 2018/19 season show that using current procedures for operational fisheries monitoring and forecasting did not ensure management of the Olympic fishery in the Ross Sea in accordance with regulation under CM 41-09, including the untimely notification of fishery closures while there was significant undercatch and the spatial redistribution of allowable catch. Russia would like to stress that the Secretariat must strictly follow Conservation Measures in force, irrespective of the goals and tasks addressed in the intersessional period, since changes to Conservation Measures in force and their approval fall within the exclusive competence of the Commission's annual meeting.