Baleen whales are important components of the Antarctic marine ecosystem as ‘sea-based’ top predators. Information on their distribution, movement and abundance trend is important as input data for ecosystem modelling studies. Genetic analyses were conducted to investigate the population identity as well the individual identity of southern right whales distributed in summer in the Antarctic Indian sector. The latter analysis was conducted to assess their site-fidelity, sex-specific ranges and abundance based on ‘mark-recapture’ methods in the Antarctic Indian sector (i.e., between 80°-135°E and south of 60°S). In total, 157 biopsy samples were collected as skin biopsies from free-ranging whales during fourteen summer surveys. The DNA was extracted from each biopsy sample, sequenced for 381 nucleotides of the mtDNA control region, genotyped at fourteen microsatellite loci, and the sex determined by the presence of a Y-chromosome specific locus. The mtDNA analysis suggested that whales in the Antarctic Indian sector in summer are closely related to the Australian calving ground. Eight incidences of individual matching (‘mark-recapture’) were detected (four males and four females). Individual matching by multi-locus genotypes was supported by mtDNA, sex determination, and in two cases where pictures were available, by photo-identification. These eight re-captures suggested that individual whales tended to return to the same location in the Antarctic Indian sector in subsequent years. The average longitudinal dispersal ranges were 13°06’ and 7°15’ in males and females, respectively. The time span between the ‘mark’ and the ‘recapture’ ranged from 3-13 years with an average at 7.3 years. Preliminary application of a ‘mark-recapture’ method based on an open population model, resulted in abundance estimate trend in the Antarctic Indian sector similar to those obtained using sighting survey data and the Line Transect Method in the same sector and similar period. However differences were observed in some years, which suggest that some of the assumptions used in the genetic ‘mark-recapture’ method should be further considered in future.

• Juvenile/larval fish taken as bycatch in the Antarctic krill fishery (CCAMLR subarea 48.1, 48.2 and 48.3) were identified by DNA barcoding and results compared with morphological identifications made on vessels by scientific observers.
• A total of 344 fish (primarily in the families Channichthyidae and Notothenidae) were identified using genetic barcoding markers.
• Species level identifications provided by observers were good for the common species Champsocephalus gunnari and Lepidonotothen larseni; however, DNA results show several less common Notothenidae species were identified as L. larseni.
• All of Chaenodraco wilsoni icefish (n=67) identified by an observer were actually Chionodraco rastrospinosus based on DNA barcoding.
• Many of the specimens (n=136) were recorded to family-level by observers; genetic barcoding markers allowed these specimens to be assigned to species level.
• The diversity of fish identified by observers (5 families; 8 species) was considerably lower than with DNA barcoding (7 families; 20 species).
• The impact of potential taxonomic misidentifications on fish bycatch datasets needs to be considered. Developing standardised field guides and additional observer training many improve the accuracy of observer taxonomic assignments.

A dedicated krill survey for CCAMLR Division 58.4.1 during 2018/19 season will be carried out by Japanese research vessel, Kaiyo-maru. No krill biomass has been estimated in the Division since 1996 when Australia conducted BROKE. There are two main objectives of our survey: (1) estimation of krill biomass to update B₀ in the division and (2) oceanographic observations in the area to detect long term changes if any. The krill survey (echosounder and RMT) and subsequent biomass estimation will follow the CCAMLR standard protocol. The survey is international oriented and a cumulative total of 34 researchers from 4 countries are expected to be engaged. An initial plan of the survey was presented to SG-ASAM-17 and WG-EMM-17 as SG-ASAM-17/01 and WG-EMM-17/05, respectively. A revised survey outline (SG-ASAM-18/03) and the details of narrowband (SG-ASAM-18/02) and broadband (SG-ASAM-18/05) acoustic survey methods were presented to SG-ASAM-18. The outcome of the previous discussion is reflected in this document. This revised proposal is presented to WG-EMM-18 with an intention to receive further comments from the participants. Every suggestion will be duly examined and incorporated where relevant in the final plan.

During the 2017 CCAMLR WG-EMM Norway was requested to act towards the industry to ensure catch reporting in accordance with the present conservation measure (CM 21-03) and to investigate potential errors in historical catch report data. As a response, the Norwegian delegation presented a list of actions that would facilitate further consideration and clarification of these technical issues, and these actions were endorsed by the Scientific Committee (SC-CAMLRXXXVI/11). This document presents the outcome of the action steps including onboard experiments and analyses of historical catch data.

Experiments on board ‘Saga Sea’ showed that there is an average delay of approximately 9 minutes between the time krill enters the trawl mouth and the time the same krill enters the holding tanks where catch weight can be first estimated and recorded. Further experiments onboard ‘Saga Sea’ and ‘Antarctic Sea’ to estimate variability in the conversion from krill holding tank volumes to krill biomass indicated that a relative standard deviation of 8-29% should be expected depending on vessel and specific holding tank features.

A previous working document indicated that there have likely been additional delays between the reported catch time and actual catch time since the krill catch is kept in holding tanks before being weighed on the flow scales. Our investigations of historical catch report data showed patterns which likely reflect reporting routines rather than true catch variability and also indicate that the reporting routines have varied between vessels and among officers on board.

The various historical reporting routines are difficult to retrace, and therefore, in order to get an idea about the uncertainty in reported catch weight and position from historical data, we used information about the maximum total capacity of the holding tanks and assumed that all catch records have been estimated based on flow scale measurements. We could then estimate a maximum residence time before the accumulated krill catch is recorded on the flow scales. The maximum residence time decreased with increasing catch rates, ranging from average values of ca. 18 hours for low catch rates to ca. 3 hours for high catch rates. The deviance in catch between original reports and reports reallocated according to estimated krill residence time was approximately normally distributed around a mean value of 1.6 tonnes with ca. 90% of the deviances contained within ±25 tonnes. These results suggest that the reporting delays cause additional uncertainty to any given reported catch value but not major bias. The geographical distribution of reported catch at different spatial scales showed only minor deviances between what was previously reported to CCAMLR and the catch reallocated in the present study using estimated krill residence times.

In summary, the results indicate that the uncertainty associated with the historical reports of catch from these fishing vessels with continuous pumping systems is higher than typically assumed. These data should therefore be used with caution, especially when conducting fine-scale retrospective analyses. When data are aggregated at temporal and spatial scales more pertinent to advisory processes and management, our results suggest that the impacts of the uncertainties in catch weight and spatial distribution are likely to be minor.

The western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is warming rapidly and we need to understand the impact of these physical changes on the marine ecosystem. The WAP is surrounded by a complex marine food web involving a number of predator and prey populations, and empirical data on abundance and trends is required to understand these trophic dynamics. The apex predator inWAP coastal waters is the killer whale (Orcinus orca), represented in this area by three phenotypically, genetically and culturally distinct ecotypes (Types B1, B2 and A). Here we report on the movement patterns and abundance of both forms of Type B killer whales: a larger mammal-eating form (B1) that apparently specializes on hunting ice seals on pack ice floes, and a smaller, more gregarious form (B2) that has been observed to feed on pygoscelid penguins. We integrated satellite telemetry to describe movement (B1: n = 8 tags, median duration = 20 d; B2: n = 22 tags, median duration = 66 d) and photo-identifications (6 y; B1 = 8,925 photographs, B2 = 13,621 photographs) to estimate abundance in the coastal waters of the WAP during austral summers from 2008/09 to 2013/14. Both forms typically occurred close to the WAP coastline in the austral summer, with periodic long-distance migrations to sub-tropical waters (up to 4151 km from tagging site) for hypothesized physiological maintenance migrations. Both types were mostly sympatric in their distributions, but B1s typically occurred further south (extending as far as 69⁰S), whereas all tracks and encounters of B2s occurred north of 68⁰S. There were notable hot spots for B1 killer whales between Adelaide Island and the WAP mainland, and for B2s in the Gerlache Strait between the WAP and Anvers Island; both types were regularly encountered in the Weddell Sea around the northern end of the WAP. B1 killer whales had a higher re-identification rate (61% photographed in more than one year) within a highly connected social network compared to B2s (25% re-identification rate). A mark-recapture model allowing for temporary emigration from the study area indicated that B1s were stable in abundance, ranging from 39 to 53 whales using the study area per year from a small parent population averaging 50 whales (75% Probability Interval 46-57). In contrast, there was a high probability (p=1) that B2s were increasing in abundance with annual estimates ranging from 181-299, from a larger parent population averaging 502 (75% PI = 434-662).

Experience gained through participation in international programmes like BIOMASS and the CCAMLR 2000 Survey has demonstrated that standardization of equipment and methods is one of the most crucial steps for any successful work during the field sampling period and later analytical work. The following net sampling and laboratory protocols are based on the protocols developed for the CCAMLR 2000 Survey. The aim is to facilitate a joint understanding of the field and laboratory work in order for participants that carry out the upcoming International Krill Synoptic Survey 2019 to collect comparable and high-quality data. This will hopefully enable the establishment of a uniform and valuable database of comparable quality with data obtained through the CCAMLR 2000 Survey and other more recent surveys that have been conducted within the region of CCAMLR Area 48.

Science based management of krill suffers from limitation of time-space information in distribution dynamics. Similarly, the industry burns unnecessary amounts of oil in long range searching of fishable biomass due to lack of density distribution information. In this paper, we demonstrate that new drone technology now available through the Sailbuoy concept, offers new opportunity for an industry – science partnership in collecting environment and krill distribution data independent of vessel availability. 

The Sailbuoy concept has demonstrated robustness and reliability under other rough conditions and will be tailored to support data for Feedback management and for a more environmentally efficient fishery in the Antarctic. The system will be equipped with echosounder and environmental sensors and will survey krill hotspots (in areas that are fished and unfished) and feed science and industry with data in near real time. The system may also collect data from moorings through underwater communication using an acoustic modem. We plan the first test in 2019 and it is the goal of this paper to establish a productive interaction with potential users to ensure that the tailored system includes most of the users’ requirement.

A Marine Ecosystem Assessment for the Southern Ocean (MEASO) is a quantitative assessment of the status and trends of habitats, species and food webs in different regions.  It aims to provide a common foundation for all end-users on which science can be developed, and policies and decisions can be made.  It is intended to enable managers to achieve consensus in adapting their management strategies to ecosystem change, in order to continue to achieve their objectives for ecosystems. ​ This paper briefly describes MEASO activities during 2018.  

This paper reports on available CEMP data and details of use as a guide for CEMP-related analyses, including an update on CEMP metadata available on the CCAMLR GIS and as hosted on the NASA Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). CEMP data submissions for the 2017/18 season are detailed by site and species, and a brief overview on general trends from the past three seasons by Subarea or Division has been included.

The Combined Standardised Index (CSI) analysis has been updated from 2017 for Area 48 in order to compare patterns of inter-annual variability. Spatial analysis shows evidence of concordance of response to changes in the ecosystem between sites by Subarea, suggesting CEMP data are tracking similar processes. Further analysis to understand emerging trends and specific indices driving these patterns are required.

• The Antarctic region is characterized by complex interaction of natural climate variability and anthropogenic climate change that produce high levels of variability in both physical and biological systems, including impacts on key fishery taxa such as Antarctic krill.

• The impact of anthropogenic climate change in the short-term could be expected to be related to changes in sea ice and physical access to fishing grounds, whereas longer-term implications are likely to include changes in ecosystem productivity affecting target stocks.

• There are no resident human populations or fishery-dependent livelihoods in the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) Area, therefore climate change will have limited direct implications for regional food security. However, as an “under-exploited” fishery, there is potential for krill to play a role in global food security in the longer term.

•The institutional and management approach taken by CCAMLR, including the ecosystem-based approach, the establishment of large marine protected areas, and scientific monitoring programmes, provides measures of resilience to climate change.