CCAMLR

Besides the climate change impact on krill based ecosystem uncertainties the factors of the ozone distribution asymmetry influence over South Ocean is discussed. The existence of the considerable zonal asymmetry in total ozone distribution over Antarctica due to the planetary waves in a polar stratosphere is observed last decades. As was shown by authors earlier in the latitudinal interval of 55-75°S in Antarctic spring months (Sep-Nov) the minimum of quasi-stationary wave (QSW) in total ozone content distribution are continuously located over the Antarctic Peninsula and Weddell Sea area - most productive krill population region, and QSW maximum - in the Ross Sea area and Australian sector. We expect that zonal asymmetry in total ozone distribution and its long-term spatial changes should impact to South Ocean ecosystem food chain, especially in primary level. The quasi-stationary minimum in ozone distribution over north Weddell Sea area should cause the increased ultraviolet irradiation (UVR) on sea surface in comparison to opposite area, where the lack of UVR should exist in spring month. These factors add the uncertainties to the information gaps in the status of Antarctic krill resources existed due to the insufficient recent scientific data. To study the possible influence upon ecosystem the available data of phytoplankton distribution in South Ocean in 1997-2007 and the fine-scale catch and effort data (C1 data) from vessels fishing for krill in the CAMLR Convention Area in 1974-2007 is started to analyze.

Assessing the impacts of fishing on Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs) in the Southern Ocean is hampered by the paucity of information on the resistance and resilience of these ecosystems to disturbance. Both resistance and resilience of individual VME-forming taxa are related to their life-history characteristics. A global database of life-history characteristics, including growth rate, age, maximum size and reproductive parameters, was established for benthic, habitat-forming taxa and associated physical and chemical variables, including depth, temperature, oxygen concentration, salinity and nutrients. Meta-analyses revealed that there were strong, consistent relationships among life-history characteristics and with physical and chemical variables. Where records for the Southern Ocean exist, they fall within general global patterns. To demonstrate how these relationships might be used to assess vulnerability to fishing data are presented for the phylum Cnidaria, an important group of habitat-forming organisms that are known to occur in the Southern Ocean. These data show significant relationships between growth, age with temperature and/or depth suggesting that these taxa will show low resilience to disturbance in the Southern Ocean. Furthermore, many deep or cold-water species brood their offspring, a trait correlated with low dispersal capability. Recovery trajectories in the orders of many decades or centuries are predicted.

Climate change in the Antarctic is having major impacts on physical and biological systems. For the Adélie penguin, which breeds around Antarctica, different populations have been subject to different environmental conditions over space and time. To assess the ability of the Adélie penguin to cope with recent rapid climate change, survivorship, fecundity, age at first breeding, and breeding success from long-term monitoring sites across the latitudinal range of Adélie habitats were compared. Inflexible life history traits associated with fecundity, but spatial variability in survival rates and the age of first breeding show that Adélie populations do respond, in situ, to local climate change. However, the responses have been insufficient to maintain positive population growth rates in the Antarctic Peninsula region. Here, the rapid rate of climate change appears to have exhausted the ability of Adélie penguins to persist in natal habitats.

Using data collected by U.S. Antarctic Marine Living Resources (AMLR) Program during January surveys 2003 to 2007, we examine the spatial relationships between baleen whale distributions and Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) abundance and demography near the South Shetland Islands (Antarctic Peninsula) and test whether whales exhibit interspecific differences in their exploitation of krill resources. Whale distributions were based on visual surveys and krill distribution, abundance and demographic characteristics were derived from net haul data. Approximately 25,000 km² and 500 net hauls were sampled over five years resulting in the most comprehensive linked whale-krill study in the SW Atlantic Ocean. We used a combination of spatial regression techniques, incorporating spatial autocorrelation, to model the overlap between three species of baleen whales and their krill prey. Whales exhibited affinities for particular krill hotspots characterized by different length-maturity stages Humpback whales (Megaptera novaengliae) show strong spatial associations with small juvenile krill in Bransfield Strait, whereas fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) are associated with large mature krill located offshore within the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. The spatial segregation of krill length-maturity stages provides an important link to understanding the spatial structure of whale feeding grounds. Implications for the conservation of whales and management of krill fisheries are discussed.

High densities of vulnerable marine ecosystem (VME) indicator taxa were encountered in 17 areas off the northern Antarctic Peninsula and 11 areas off the South Orkney Islands (CCAMLR Subareas 48.1 and 48.2). These areas, which have been proposed for inclusion in the CCAMLR VME registry, were detected during the 2006 and 2009 U.S. Antarctic Marine Living Resources Program surveys. The VMEs were detected in most cases utilizing occurrence and abundance of VME indicator taxa in research bottom trawl samples, as well as by way of in situ observations with an underwater photographic/video imaging system. Using standardized densities of VME taxa from bottom trawl samples, we propose one possible trigger level that could be used to provide a basis for notification of a VME, based on CCAMLR Scientific Committee deliberations and current CCAMLR Conservation Measures. We further present a breakdown of ‘heavy’ vs. ‘light’ VME indicator taxa with consequences on the proposed trigger, as well as the rationale for potential additional VMEs in Subarea 48.2 (not notified), based on rarity of taxa and/or uniqueness of community.

In 2008, the Ukraine submitted a paper to the Scientific Committee highlighting the magnitude of the scientific uncertainties and data gaps affecting the subdivision of precautionary catch limits among SSMUs in Area 48 (CCAMLR- XXVII/43). The Ukraine suggested that a research plan was necessary for CCAMLR to fill those gaps, together with developing in future a funding mechanism to support the data obtaining process financially. The discussion of that issue at 2009 WG-EMM meeting will be useful in a course of the consideration a decision on a Stage 1 allocation. In addition, this meeting provides a good opportunity to discuss the possibility for the working group to come up with a research and monitoring plan for krill in Area 48. Due to the high level of risk associated with maintaining the current fishing pattern, in the event that WG-EMM is not able to deliver a recommendation on Stage 1 allocation, the working group would consider interim protective measures to protect krill predators from the impacts of fishing. In order to adequately incorporate current uncertainties in regards to krill, krill catches, predators, and environmental, the level of combined uncertainties could be quantified through a simple index - “uncertainty coefficient”.

The research project to digitize former Soviet krill fishing research, exploratory and commercial expedition’s data has been started in Ukraine at the Southern Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography. This valuable set of krill data was collected during Soviet Union krill-fishing expeditions in Southern Ocean between the years of 1972-1992. The main purpose of these expeditions was to collect data and samples and to create an estimation of the commercial exploitation of the Antarctic krill stock. The data is currently recorded in the paper forms as expedition logbooks and represent an exclusive set of observations for investigation of the environment and the impact of climate change on krill in the Southern Ocean ecosystem. The data covers more than 50 fishing cruise observer logbooks with krill fishing trawl sets, biological krill sampling. Logbook pages are scanned and the information is digitized in the CCAMLR electronic C1 format. The project will continue to provide the krill fishing efforts and distribution data in Convention areas in electronic format for scientists and CCAMLR consideration for estimations of the changes to the krill ecosystem in connection to climate change and fishing efforts. This project is started under support by the USA based Pew Charitable Trusts’ Antarctic Krill Conservation Project.

In 2008 fishing season the Russian flagged vessel 'Maxim Starostin' started fishing operations for krill in the Convention area. The vessel used both conventional and continuous trawl technology. Two Russian national scientific observers were present during all fishing operations of the 'Maxim Starostin'. Their observation plan targeted at monitoring the amount and size/sex composition of the krill catches, bycatch, spatial distribution and biological condition of krill. This paper provides initial analysis of the 'Maxim Starostin' catch data collected between January and March, 2009 in the area adjacent to the Southern Orkney Islands (CCAMLR Area 48.2). The data obtained during the observation period indicate the presence of several types of Antarctic krill aggregations in South Orkney Islands region. These aggregation have complex size structure and apparently consist of several successive cohorts. The aggregations with dominance of small-, average- and large-size krill have been allocated. Reproduction of krill in these aggregations occurs at different time and, apparently, with different intensity that gives grounds to suggest the possibility of variation in the off-spring survival rate.

The establishment of a new higher predator monitoring location on the north coast of South Georgia is described. Preliminary results obtained from the 2008/09 season are presented. Although this is the first year of monitoring, breeding success of predators monitored in the Cumberland Bay area in 2008/09 was low, consistent with monitoring at Bird Island and coinciding with low krill abundance observed at South Georgia in early 2009.

The diet of mackerel icefish was investigated from stomachs of 828 fish caught on the South Georgia and Shag Rocks shelves in January 2009. The results show that the diet of this normally krill-dependent species was dominated by the hyperiid amphipod Themisto gaudichaudii (92 % IRI) and was low in Antarctic krill (7 % IRI) compared with similar data for the same month in 2004-2006. The results are consistent with other indicators of krill availability on the South Georgia shelf, which indicate that the 2008/09 season was a particularly poor one for krill. Comparison of frequency of occurrence of krill in the diet with earlier data sets (1967-1992) show that 2009 is not unique, as similarly poor krill years occurred in 1969, 1978 and 1991. Spatial analysis of icefish diet indicates heterogeneity in the occurrence of prey, which is likely indicative of krill distribution. The utility of icefish diets as indicators of krill availability and distribution are considered.