CCAMLR has made progress on addressing the recommendations from the 2008 Performance Review, but the process is still incomplete. ASOC has identified 14 incomplete recommendations that require further action from CCAMLR, SC-CAMLR, and other working groups. Most of these recommendations fall under the categories of Conservation and Management and Compliance and Enforcement, and are therefore critical items to implement. Fulfilment of all outstanding Performance Review recommendations will ensure CCAMLR’s continued leadership in the management of high-seas areas.

There are a number of steps that CCAMLR and its members can take to improve the governance and control of fishing vessels in the Southern Ocean and thereby enhance safety, ecosystem-based management and environmental protection. These include mandatory requirements for appropriate ice-strengthening and obtaining IMO numbers for all vessels, reports on all vessel incidents, and notification of Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres (MRCCs) when entering or leaving Search and Rescue (SAR) areas. Additionally, it would be valuable for CCAMLR to encourage the IMO to include fishing vessels in the Polar Code at the earliest opportunity. CCAMLR Members should also support efforts to bring the new Cape Town Agreement, replacing the Torremolinos Protocol, into force, which would improve fishing vessel safety globally.

For several years, ASOC has been calling for improved management of Antarctic krill fisheries by establishing feedback management procedures, improving monitoring through a strengthened CEMP program, and requiring 100% scientific observer coverage on board krill vessels among other issues. In this paper, ASOC urges CCAMLR to implement further protective measures to prevent excessive concentration of krill fishing in coastal areas close to predator colonies in Area 48. This is of particular relevance since fishing has been concentrating heavily in coastal areas lately. ASOC also calls on CCAMLR to continue to work towards strengthening the CEMP program, requiring mandatory reporting on green weight estimation methods, and obtaining 100% observer coverage on the krill fishing fleet.

This paper summarises some key principles to consider in the designation of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Marine Reserves (MRs). These principles are derived from briefings produced by the Antarctic Ocean Alliance (AOA), an ASOC member. These briefings discuss the duration of MPAs and MRs, the application of the precautionary principle to MPAs and MRs and the designation of MPAs and MRs in the context of climate change. Additionally, CCAMLR’s opportunity to create a strong conservation legacy for future generations is highlighted. The Ross Sea and East Antarctic proposals are consistent with the provisions and practices of the CAMLR Convention, and offer appropriate precautionary, permanent, large-scale protection while allowing commercial fisheries to continue in some areas. By designating MPAs at CCAMLR XXXII, Members will demonstrate the leadership, vision and good stewardship that are critical for the long-term sustainability of the oceans.

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the concept of “representativeness” in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) design and to review discussions and agreements at CCAMLR meetings relating to its application to the designation of a representative system of MPAs in the Southern Ocean. In 2005, CCAMLR endorsed advice from the Scientific Committee, which noted that representative areas, defined as “areas that would aim to provide a comprehensive, adequate and representative system of MPAs to contribute to the long-term ecological viability of marine systems, to maintain ecological processes and systems, and to protect the Antarctic marine biological diversity at all levels” would contribute to furthering the objectives of CCAMLR.

The principle of representativeness aims to ensure that differences in particular ecosystems or habitats in a particular region are captured within a system of MPAs. A key part of the process of creating a representative system of MPAs is the identification of representative areas of biodiversity through biogeographic analysis in a systematic conservation planning process. The value of biogeographic analysis for representative Southern Ocean MPAs is reflected through CCAMLR’s commitment to bioregionalisation, and this analysis has subsequently underpinned the whole process of MPA development within CCAMLR. Thus, CCAMLR has extensively considered and refined the concept of representativeness in the past 10 years.