This document contributes to the planning process for the designation of a Domain 1 MPA led by Argentina and Chile. In particular, this paper provides a biodiversity analysis by zone for the Domain 1 MPA preliminary proposal introduced during the last EMM meeting (WG-EMM-17/23; WG-EMM 17/24; WG-EMM-17/25 Rev. 1). Conservation objects comprise different extensions and are distributed differently in Doman 1; while some of them occupy very small areas – such as polynyas – others extend over larger areas -like benthic ecoregions. In general, it may be difficult to protect all spatial features, especially when their distribution is complex. The Domain 1 MPA model was generated based on Priority Areas for Conservation (PAC, SC-CAMLR-XXXVI/17) and taking into consideration the krill fishery and climate change (SC-CAMLR-XXXVI/18). The MPA model achieved the targets for almost 90% of the conservation objects, including the protection for all the areas considered to be important for birds, mammals and fishes. The proposed MPA fulfils the level of protection the international community agreed on for Domain 1. Substantial reductions of this MPA could potentially compromise, at least to some degree, the protection of the conservation objectives established by the Convention, for the designation of MPA in Antarctica.

This document contributes to the planning process for the designation of a Domain 1 MPA led by Argentina and Chile (SC-CAMLR-XXXVI/17 and SC-CAMLR-XXXVI/18). Particularly, this report summarizes the results and decisions taken in a series of international workshops specifically developed to assist in the Domain 1 MPA planning process, including the 2012 - First International Workshop held in Valparaiso, Chile, (WG-EMM-12/69); the 2013 Binational Workshop (Chile-Argentina) held in La Serena, Chile (WG-EMM-14/40), the 2015 Second International Workshop for identifying Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Domain 1 of CCAMLR held in Buenos Aires, Argentina (WGEMM-15/42); and the 2016 Informal Workshop on Domain 1 MPA held in Bologna, Italy (WGEMM-16/73).

This report has been compiled by the authors based on expert discussions held during the above workshops. The list of participants for these Workshops can be found in Annex 3. A revised version with a complete list of authors is proposed to be submitted to CCAMLR Science (SC-CAMLR-XXXVI/16).

The CCAMLR Scientific Committee in 2016 reviewed three scientific background documents in support of the development of a CCAMLR MPA in the Weddell Sea. Germany was asked to carry out further work, in particular regarding the issues and questions raised at WG-EMM-16 and SC-CAMLR-XXXV.

Here, the authors intend to update the Working Group on Fish Stock Assessment on the current state of the work carried out during the 2016/2017 intersessional period. Chapter 1 of this working group paper informs on the new data retrieval process. Chapter 2 presents the updated analyses of relevant data layers, including an update on the Antarctic toothfish habitat model. Chapter 3 provides a sensitivity analysis of the level of protection for Antarctic toothfish and other demersal fish that explores a range of protection-level scenarios. In this context, we show how the cost layer works. Subsequently, a revised Marxan approach based on the updated data layer is shown. In Chapter 4 we outline the way we - at that stage - transferred the results of the scientific analyses into the WSMPA borders and management zones.

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-XXXV and SC-CAMLR-XXXV, including:

• Results from the latest, 23^rd consecutive field season of the Antarctic Site Inventory;

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

• State Of Antarctic Penguins 2017 Report and Penguin Conservation Efforts;

• Update on Oceanites’ Climate Challenge analyses;

• Camera Work and Additional Research with Penguin Watch at the University of Oxford (UK); and

• Recent scientific papers.

The 2-year programme of exploratory fishing provided for by SPRFMO CMM 4.14 has been successfully completed and new and important biological information has been collected on toothfish outside the CCAMLR convention area. The key findings are that only Antarctic toothfish, Dissostichus mawsoni, were caught, that these were mostly male (~85%), and that most fish were in spawning condition or spent. These surveys provide information on the life history of Antarctic toothfish that is consistent with the current hypothesis on Antarctic toothfish growth and movement, and have provided the some of the first empirical scientific observations of spawning Antarctic toothfish. Information collected during these first two voyages will be shared with CCAMLR and had been used in the stock assessment of Antarctic toothfish in the Ross Sea region. Over the coming months, New Zealand will screen video footage and analyse all data collected in more detail than the timing of the voyages has allowed so far. In addition, to maximise the value of future data collection for both organisations’ understanding of the distribution, dynamics and status of stocks of Antarctic toothfish, New Zealand will also assess the optimum quantity and nature of data required to enable the development of a spatially-explicit integrated stock assessment model of Antarctic toothfish in the region. It is anticipated that this model, targeted for completion in 2021, will include those components of the Antarctic toothfish stock residing in the SPRFMO Area as well as in the CCAMLR Area. At this stage, it is intended that a comprehensive proposal for the future of the exploratory fishery will be presented to SPRFMO Scientific Committee in 2018.

The Ross Sea region has been known as an ecologically important area in the Antarctic with an extraordinary rich biota. To conserve marine living resources and the ecosystem of the Ross Sea, CCAMLR designated the area as a Marine Protected Area (MPA) at the 35th annual meetings in 2016. Since 2015, the Korean government (Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries) has been preparing to launch a research and development project (R&D) to contribute to CCAMLR’s efforts to conserve the area, and approved the budget for the said project for 5 years (2017-2022). The goal of the project is to understand the impact of climate change on the structure and function of the ecosystem of the Ross Sea region MPA. To that end, investigations on the spatial distribution of krill, biodiversity, the structure of the food web and biomagnification will be undertaken. To provide monitoring data on breeding parameters of krill-dependent species to the CCAMLR Ecosystem Monitoring Program (CEMP), investigations on population dynamics, breeding success and foraging behavior of the Adélie penguin will be conducted at Cape Hallett. Polynya dynamics, sea ice concentration and primary production will be observed in order to analyze how environmental changes affect the ecosystem. We look forward to taking a lead role in these research activities using our research infrastructure, such as the icebreaker research vessel ‘ARAON’, the air-network based on Jang Bogo Station, and the field camp at Cape Hallett. 

Data on fish by-catch in the krill fishery from commercial catch data (100 153 hauls) and CCAMLR SISO data (20 766 hauls) up to 1 Sept 2017 was used to examine the frequency of occurrence, length-frequency distribution and geographic provenance of the key fish taxa reported. There is continued evidence of  an increase in the data quality from the observer scheme,  as well as an increase in the reporting of fish by-catch in the commercial krill fishery catch data. There was a high degree of overlap in the most frequently reported taxa in the C1 data and SISO data, with Lepidonothen larseni the most frequently reported in both datasets. The length-frequency distribution of all taxa for which >200 fish were measured had modal size class of ≤10 cm. The characteristics (species and size frequency) of fish taken as bycatch in the krill fishery are  consistent with those reported in the diet of ‘krill-dependent’ predators from the region in which the krill fishery operates.

This paper presents an update of the metrics of capacity and capacity utilisation presented in WG-SAM 14/19 and WG-FSA 15/09 in order to monitor trends in capacity in exploratory toothfish fisheries in Subareas 88.1 and 88.2. The updated metrics show the same pattern as in previous updates and do not indicate an excess of capacity in the fishery. As previously reported, based on a measure of potential daily fishing capacity and the catch limit for an area the notified fishing capacity in some management areas compromises the ability of the Secretariat to forecast and issue a timely closure notice to reduce the possibility of an overrun using the current fishery forecasting procedure.