CCAMLR

This report outlines the participation of the SC-CAMLR Chair in the Third Meeting of Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP-III) under the Madrid Protocol. The most important issues of relevance to CCAMLR are:
(a) CCAMLR has been requested to table a report at the next CEP meeting on marine debris, especially in relation to compliance with Protocol Annex IV;
(b) SC-CAMLR should consider the designation of Specially Protected Species in respect of its own needs and in relation to available IUCN criteria;
(c) CCAMLR's consideration of l\-larine Protected Areas should be carried forward and in this context the Guidelines for Implementation of Article 3, Annex V of the Environmental Protocol -Antarctic Specially Protected Areas developed by the CEP may offer a useful point of departure;
(d) The potential for CEMP data to complement that from the COMNAP environmental monitoring programme around Antarctic research stations should be kept under review;
(e) SC-CAMLR's potential involvement in the State of the Antarctic Environment Report should be noted and a paper from SCAR on the matter is anticipated at SC-CAMLR-XIX;
(f) The CCAMLR Secretariat has been requested to provide CEP-IV with a paper outlining the former's experience with data/information management, and
(g) The participation of the SC-CAMLR Chair in the work and meetings of the CEP has been extremely useful and should continue to be supported.

This paper provides a summary of the highlights of the FAO sponsored consultation on illegal. unreported and unregulated (IUV) fishing. A Draft International Plan of Action on IUU Fishing was prepared and this will be discussed at a Technical Consultation on IUU Fishing in Rome between 2-6 October 2000.

Finfishing started in the Southern Ocean more than 30 years ago at South Georgia and Iles Kerguelen. The fishery extended further south for a few years in the second half of the 1970's. However, South Georgia and the Kerguelen Islands remained the most important fishing grounds until 1996/97 when the longline fisheries for Dissostichus eleginoides spread over most of the Southern Ocean within one season. A number of direct effects from fishing activities can be seen on marine life, in particular birds and mammals. With the exception of plastic package bands on some sub-Antarctic islands and in particular the impact of longlining on marine birds these effects have been minor, very local and killed probably only a few animals per year.