The Scientific Committee has previously used results from the Krill-Predator-Fishery Model (KPFM2, also known as Foosa) to consider the risks that implementing various management strategies for the krill fishery will compromise the Commission’s ability to achieve the objectives in Article II of the Convention. Management strategies for the krill fishery are currently comprised of an overall catch limit and a spatial distribution of this limit. We used KPFM2 to assess the risks of feedback management strategies in which the overall catch limit is dynamically redistributed among small scale management units (SSMUs) every five years based on results of monitoring either (1) the density of krill (g·m^‑2) or (2) changes in penguin abundance. Relative to the case in which the overall catch limit is statically distributed among SSMUs in proportion to catches taken during 2009-2016, we found that the two feedback management strategies we considered mostly redistributed risks to penguins and seals. Neither feedback strategy mitigated risks, beyond those projected to be incurred by the status quo distribution of fishing, in all or most SSMUs. We preliminarily attribute these results to the fact that none of the management strategies considered here redistributed fishing to offshore SSMUs, but we intend to verify this point with additional analyses. Catches by the fishery were generally projected to decrease in SSMUs where risks to predators decreased and increase where risks to predators increased, but the risks that the fishery might temporarily suspend operations due to low krill densities was insensitive to differences between the management strategies assessed. Our results suggest it may be useful to consider alternatives to the two FBM strategies evaluated here.

A few sub-adults of the Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni) were collected by bottom trawling carried out by the RV Polarstern in the southern Weddell Sea (Subarea 48.5) (PS82, ANT-XXIX/9, 19 December 2013 - 5 March 2014). Fishes were caught on the shelf and slope off the Riiser-Larsen Ice Shelf. In this document we report first data on individual age, gonad stage of maturity and diet through otolith readings, histological and stomach content analyses, respectively. All specimens were immature, showing an age range of 10-13 years. Main prey consisted of Antarctic silverfish and daggertooth.

Oceanites, Inc. is a US-based, nonprofit, scientific, and educational organization under US law, which was founded in 1987. Its mission is to champion science-based conservation and increased awareness of climate change and its potential impacts through the lens of penguins and Antarctica.

This report summarizes activities of Oceanites since CCAMLR-XXXVI and SC-CAMLR-XXXVI, including: 

• Results from the latest, 24th consecutive field season of the Antarctic Site Inventory;

• Update on the Mapping Application for Penguin Populations and Projected Dynamics (MAPPPD); 

• State Of Antarctic Penguins 2018 Report and penguin conservation efforts; 

• Buffer zone reference tool; 

• Update on Oceanites’ climate analyses; 

• Camera work and additional research; and 

• Recent scientific papers.

Thirteen ACAP species (out of 31 currently listed) are currently showing overall population declines. The population trends of a large proportion of 16 ACAP species with significant distribution in the CCAMLR area are still uncertain or showed declines during the last two decades, and two thirds of the total is listed by the IUCN as threatened. The greatest threat to the ACAP species is incidental mortality in longline and trawl fisheries. CCAMLR has achieved outstanding success in reducing seabird bycatch in the area under its jurisdiction to negligible levels. However, the species distributed in the Convention Area are highly migratory and largely extend their distribution in neighbouring waters, where bycatch is still occurring, both in jurisdictional waters as well as those administrated by RFMOs. Addressing the pervasive threat of fisheries bycatch for species as wide-ranging as albatrosses and petrels requires concerted and collaborative management actions covering both national and international waters. Bycatch of seabirds in adjacent regions may undermine the success that CCAMLR has achieved to date, and the conservation status of those species that breed or forage in the Convention Area is dependent on efforts to minimise bycatch both within the CCAMLR area, and importantly outside of it, both in jurisdictional waters and the high seas.

The Pygoscelis penguin colonies census in the Vernadsky Antarctic station area has been provided during 2017-2018 breeding season. The most abandoned Pygoscelis penguin species in the region of research are gentoo penguin, which has formed 14 separate colonies with about 13320 of breeding pairs total and about 780 immature penguins. The Adelie species is much less common in the area and formed 8 nesting colonies with 5300 nesting pairs and 800 immature penguins. Inside of the Adelie penguin species family, there is a significantly higher percentage of birds which not involved in the reproduction process. This fact, to some extent, probably explains the depression of the world population of the Adelie species, which has been observed throughout the area during recent years. The nesting of the Antarctic penguin in the region of research should be considered a sporadic settlement at a considerable distance from the main range. The gentoo penguin colony at the Green Island possibly could be the southernmost points of the nesting habitat of this species. 

We aim to investigate the qualitative changes in the habitats of two most common species penguin populations in the Wilhelm Archipelago Pygoscelis papua (gentoo) and Pygoscelis adeliae (Adelie) penguins in the CCAMLR Subarea 48.1 under the impact of climate changes and krill fishery. To minimize the effect of human disturbance on the breeding success and survival of chicks and avoid disturbance to the penguins, the new method of registration using time-lapse cameras have been installed in the penguin colonies for observation breeding success of penguins: arrival to colony, copulation, egg lay, hatch, and creche, has been applied. This method was introduced for the first time in the framework of international CEMP project “Establishing a CEMP Camera Network in Subarea 48.1”. The project timeline is expected more than five years. The traditional visual observation of biologists from time to time has been used as well. Changes in the penguin species habitat have been observed on the territory of the Wilhelm Archipelago. It was observed that at the beginning of the ХХІ century the nesting areas of P. papua was significantly extended probably due to the climate warming in the region. It was shown that P. papua is more ecologically plastic species than P. adeliae. Well-known that the breeding success of penguins can be used as an indication of the status of lower trophic levels. Future development of the penguin nesting colonies monitoring using the CEMP Camera Network under the CCAMLR supervising will contribute significantly to the real-time estimates of relative prey availability. The results of the gentoo and Adelie penguin’s chronology and breeding success studies might be used in the development of the krill fishery management strategy in the CCAMLR for the rational use of Antarctic marine living resources; (2) to develop a resettlement model to predict the ecological risks due to climate changes for both penguin species.

We invite all Members and Observers to participate in a Workshop on Krill-fishery Management for Subareas 48.1 and 48.2. The overarching objective of this workshop will be to explore how management strategies for the krill fishery can be integrated and harmonized. Such strategies include, but are not limited to, feedback management and the use of research zones within the proposed D1MPA, and can be advanced based on advice developed from risk assessments and ecosystem models. We intend that the Workshop will be coordinated the 2019 meeting of WG-EMM, and products of the Workshop will be submitted to the 2019 meeting of SC‑CAMLR.