CCAMLR

As agreed in 2012 (SC-CAMLR XXXI para 10.6) SCAR and CCAMLR held a 1-day Action Group meeting in Brussels during the ATCM. The aims of the meeting included examining specific mechanisms that SCAR and CCAMLR might implement to work together in a more strategic manner and identifying a series of topics/issues that are of common interest to SCAR and CCAMLR that could form an agenda for more effective collaborations.

The climate-induced changes presently seen in the ecosystems of Antarctic region require a precautionary approach with respect to the human use of these ecosystems. In particular, resource harvesting requires enough basic knowledge as well as adequate monitoring to avoid unintended impacts on the harvested stocks as well as the associated ecosystem. Due to the vastness and remoteness of the Antarctic region research vessel capacity is not readily available for conventional coverage of the harvested stocks and their ecosystems. In this paper we describe the potential of using commercial fishing vessels to bridge the gap in research vessel capacity. The various tasks and required instrumentation are presented and discussed. The realism behind the description is exemplified by a Norwegian krill fishing vessel now under construction. This type of combined fishing and research vessel capacity could make a large amount of important data available for CCAMLR analysis and thus improve the basis for resource evaluation and management.

Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) are a key Southern Ocean higher-order predator with a diet which is largely comprised of the fishery target species Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba). Being central-place foragers during the breeding season, their foraging range is restricted by the physiological, environmental and time constraints imposed upon them. Knowledge of their summer and winter foraging locations is relevant to WG-EMM in terms of understanding the spatial and temporal scales of influence on CEMP parameters as well as the management of the Southern Ocean marine living resources in relation to potential direct or indirect overlap with the krill fishery. Here we present winter and summer tracking data for the Mawson, Davis and Casey Adélie penguin breeding populations. During the summer months, the birds foraged within several hundred kilometres of their breeding colonies, and at times, they accessed the highly productive shelf break. In contrast, during winter, the penguins travelled up to 3000 km away from their breeding colonies with their journey being closely associated with the sea-ice edge. This study highlights the large spatial scale of influences during the winter months for these three east Antarctic Adélie penguin populations.

The present report analyses data regarding CPUE, tagging and catch and their contribution to estimate abundance in a simple biomass dynamic model for both species of toothfish in northern area of 48.6 (SSRU 48.6A, 48.6G). Antarctic and Patagonian toothfish presented a high proportion with sets in which both species are present, and thus, an analysis of catch intention was implemented by using multivariate statistical approach of the catch composition. Standardisation of CPUE was done by using Generalised Additive Models (GAM) considering temporal and location factors. Tagging data was analysed in terms number of tagged and recovered individuals, and tag size-overlap. Catch reported and assumed IUU were combined to produce a time series of catches between 1991 and 2013.  A general biomass dynamic model in Bayesian framework using standardised CPUE and catches (considering assumed IUU) was implemented in each species of toothfish. Tagging data was not used in any of the toothfish models, because of the low number of recovered individuals and low tag size-overlap. Modelling abundance in both species is highly dependent on priors for estimated parameters and information in CPUE and catches contributed little to the abundance estimates. This indicates that other modelling framework should be implemented in order to have unbiased abundance estimates. Due to high importance of tagging data in stock assessment model, it is highly recommendable to continue with the collection of the data by scientific observed and tagging and release program. Bayesian data-poor models seem to be appropriated to treat data with little information of abundance such as presented here.

WG-EMM-STAPP is charged with estimating krill consumption by the major air-breathing predators of the Southern Ocean including ice-breeding seals, fur seals, penguins and flying seabirds. The priority region for estimation is Area 48, but the krill consumption estimates are also being developed for other regions around Antarctica under the work program of WG-EMM-STAPP as a basis for management of future krill fisheries in those regions. We present here estimates of the breeding Adélie penguin population for Divisions 58.4.1 and 58.4.2 in east Antarctica. We estimated that around 1.31 million pairs of Adelie penguins were attempting to breed at the time of the surveys in Divisions 58.4.1 and 58.4.2. This estimate is substantially higher than the previously available estimate in Woehler (1993) of 767,000 breeding pairs. This difference is likely to be due to a combination of newly discovered breeding sites contributing to the revised estimate, the use of new methods to adjust raw counts, and real population increases.
 

The Secretariat, with assistance from Prof Tetsuo Iwami, has developed a simple fish field guide designed to assist in improving the quality of observer by-catch data collected in the CCAMLR krill fishery. The draft guide provided includes a single key to distinguish fish families and 3 family specific keys for species found in the Southern Ocean. Members are invited to provide information and resources to improve this guide.

The CCAMLR Ecosystem Monitoring Program (CEMP) was established to detect the effects of changes in krill-based ecosystems to provide a basis for regulating harvesting of Antarctic living marine resources in accordance with the ‘ecosystem approach’.

In 2012/13 data has been submitted by six Members for 13 sites and 13 CEMP parameters.  

This report provides a summary of CEMP data submissions for the 2012/13 season.

Brazil is coordinating the implementation of the review of the Management Plan for the Antarctic Specially Managed Area (ASMA) No. 1, Admiralty Bay, King George Island, South Shetland Archipelago. This draft revision of the management plan is has been submitted to WG-EMM to seek the advice of CCAMLR on those aspect of the management plan relevant to living marine resources following the procedures described in ATCM Decision 9 (2005).

In particular the advice of CCAMLR is requested on the proposal that in order to ensure that any commercial harvesting is carried out in a  manner that is consistent with the scientific aims and objectives of the Management Plan, a proposal to undertake such harvesting activities shall be submitted to CCAMLR for its consideration and that  commercial harvesting specified in such a proposal shall only be undertaken with the prior approval of CCAMLR.

At its 2011 meeting, the Scientific Committee agreed that a time series of relative abundance from a well-designed survey could be a useful input into the Ross Sea stock assessment model. The first survey was completed in February (Hanchet al. 2012a). In this paper we provide the results of the second survey in the time series.

The objectives of this second survey were:

1. To carry out a longline survey to monitor subadult toothfish in the southern Ross Sea (strata A–C) using standardised gear in a standardised manner; and
2. To sample additional experimental stations in adjacent areas to identify areas of high subadult abundance which could be included as strata in future annual surveys.