In response to a request from the Scientific Committee the Secretariat has initiated a process to utilise VMS data for data-quality assurance in relation to catch data. This represents a change in focus on the use of VMS data by CCAMLR and requires a contingent change in emphasis on data quality assurance processes in order to ensure that the VMS can be used with an appropriate degree of confidence for compliance analysis and improving the quality of other georeferenced data.

In response to a request from New Zealand (COMM CIRC 15/15) the Secretariat undertook an analysis of the information provided by New Zealand in previous years (COMM CIRC 13/09), along with VMS records, CCAMLR Observer Reports and other information the Secretariat has available to facilitate further investigation. In 2013 reports of offal were tightly clustered in a small area on the border of SSRUs 88.H and J, whereas in 2015 the reports were received from a broader area. For each location where offal was reported VMS data was used to identify all vessels that had been recorded within 10 kilometres of the reported location during the 5 days preceding the date of the report. Identifying the provenance of offal found in the stomachs of toothfish is inconclusive in many cases, however, ancillary information on the specific nature of the offal and on the particular vessels identified may be helpful to refine the outcomes of the analysis in some instances.

Cooperation between the Scientific Committee of CCAMLR (SC-CAMLR) and the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP) has been steadily increasing over the last few years to the mutual benefit of both. In order to avoid duplicate reporting between the two committees, and following discussions between the Chairs of the CEP and SC-CAMLR,  the report of the CEP meeting is presented to SC-CAMLR by the CEP Observer to SC-CAMLR and the report of the meeting of  SC-CAMLR  is presented to the CEP by the SC-CAMLR observer to the CEP.  An agreed standard reporting template, to be routinely followed by both committees, has also clarified and simplified the reciprocal reporting.  Accordingly, this report provides the CEP’s annual report to SC-CAMLR-XXXIV. A highlight of the 2015 CEP meeting was further development of the second joint CEP-SC-CAMLR workshop.