There are a number of actions that CCAMLR and its members should implement to improve the governance and control of fishing vessels in the Southern Ocean, thereby enhancing safety, and improving ecosystem-based management and environmental protection. These actions include a mandatory requirement for ice-strengthening for fishing vessels, a two-tier system of training for vessels crews and Masters, and identification of requirements for environmental response and monitoring in the event of an incident. Additionally, CCAMLR should make a commitment to engage fully in the extension of the Polar Code to non-SOLAS vessels including fishing vessels and should inform the IMO of recent incidents involving fishing vessels in the Southern Ocean and developments introduced by CCAMLR.

CCAMLR has previously recognized the importance of considering climate change impacts when making management decisions. However, to date this has not been explicitly incorporated in most working papers, even though climate change and ocean acidification are relevant to a wide range of policy decisions. Government bodies often require the inclusion of similar statements to be included with the submission of new or revised legislation or regulations when an issue has relevance to a broad spectrum of decisions. ASOC therefore recommends that CCAMLR adopt a resolution urging Members to include a climate change implications statement in their working papers and fisheries reports. This text could also be appended to Resolution 30/XXVIII.

Policymakers and marine managers are increasingly using MPAs and marine reserves to achieve better conservation outcomes for marine areas. As these areas grow in number, it is important to analyze whether they are in fact achieving their desired outcomes and what factors led to their success. One major study published this year identified five characteristics of MPAs that achieved statistically significant outcomes on fish population metrics, including: “no take, well enforced, old (>10 years), large (>100km²) and isolated by deep water or sand” (Edgar et al. 2014). Two analyses of New Zealand’s system of marine reserves, which has now been in place for several decades, indicate unexpected benefits for scientists and scientific research. NZ’s no-take reserves have effectively served as “control” areas without which researchers would not have been able to draw fully informed conclusions. CCAMLR should consider these findings as they discuss the current Ross Sea and East Antarctica proposals, as well as future MPA proposals, to ensure that Southern Ocean MPAs will likewise achieve their desired conservation and scientific outcomes.

La austromerluza negra y la austromerluza antártica se comercializan a nivel internacional y son especies de gran importancia comercial para los trece países que pescan de manera activa la austromerluza para el consumo mundial. Los grandes países consumidores son los que tienen el mayor impacto sobre el comercio de austromerluza, por tanto, es importante comprender qué influencia tienen los países consumidores en las operaciones de pesca. Aunque la Comisión para la Conservación de los Recursos Vivos Marinos Antárticos (CCRVMA) regule los desembarques de austromerluza de las pesquerías, por ahora, no se dispone de procedimientos adecuados para controlar el volumen o el valor comercial que la austromerluza alcanza en el mercado internacional. Se ha llevado a cabo un análisis comercial usando los datos de importación y exportación de la Base de datos estadísticos sobre el comercio de mercaderías de la ONU (UN Comtrade) registrados entre 2007 y 2012 con el objeto de examinar las pautas mundiales comerciales de volumen y precio.

Este análisis se centró en los diez países más activos en el comercio de austromerluza durante un período de seis años. Entre 2007 y 2012 el precio medio (USD/kg) de las importaciones se incrementó en un 44% mientras que el volumen comercializado disminuyó. Los EE.UU. representan un 54% del total de las importaciones y tienen el mayor peso sobre las tendencias generales. Entre 2007 y 2012 el precio medio de las exportaciones se incrementó en un 86,8% mientras que el volumen general comercializado disminuyó. El análisis de los datos pone de manifiesto una relación sólida entre la oferta y la demanda dentro de los mercados internacionales, así como la presencia de otros factores específicos para cada país. Este análisis contribuye a un proceso constante de recopilación de datos acerca del comercio de austromerluza y se utilizará para identificar cambios a nivel mundial del mercado de la austromerluza y para contribuir a la gestión de las tareas de gestión del recurso.