CCAMLR

This paper reports on the various activities conducted by or involving SCAR that relate directly to CCAMLR or are of potential interest to CCAMLR. This includes a report on the SCAR XXIX Delegates Meeting and Open Science Conference held in Hobart in July 2006, progress with the new Evolution and Biodiversity in the Antarctic (EBA) and the Census of Antarctic Marine Life (CAML) projects. CAML has been developing links with the CCAMLR 2008 IPY Survey. The new SCAR-MarBIN data portal continues to gather information on marine biodiversity in Antarctic and SCAR has established a new Action Group on Continuous Plankton Recorder research CPRAG. Both SCAR-MarBIN and CPRAG can provide useful data for CCAMLR. The activities of the Expert Groupss of Birds and Seals are summarised, as well as new research on Ocean-Ice-Atmosphere Systems and interactions. SCAR conducted its third international workshop on marine acoustic studies at the University of Cadiz, Spain in January 2006. A summary is provided in this report. A complete report of the Cadiz workshop is provided in the supplementary SCAR information paper CCAMLR-XXV/BG/23 “Report on the activities of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) 2005/06.”

Existing area-based conservation and management measures available under CCAMLR provide a broad conservation and management framework under which the entire CCAMLR Area could be considered to have a level of protection similar to an IUCN Category IV (Habitat/Species Management) protected area. Category IV areas are defined as “subject to active intervention for management purposes so as to ensure the maintenance of habitats and/or to meet the requirements of specific species”. Recent discussion within CCAMLR forums has focused on the need for further protection to be afforded to inter alia, representative, vulnerable or scientific areas, and it has been noted that this type of protected area may have considerable potential for furthering CCAMLR’s objectives. Such additional protection might be established using CCAMLR’s existing provisions for closed areas and special areas for protection or scientific study. This would complement the existing area-based management system, and thus achieve additional benefits for fisheries and biodiversity conservation on an ecosystems basis.

South Africa is currently proclaiming a Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of its sub-Antarctic Prince Edward Islands. The objectives of the MPA are to: (1) contribute to a national and global representative system of MPAs; (2) serve as a scientific reference point to inform future management; (3) contribute to the recovery of the Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides); and (4) reduce the bird bycatch of the toothfish fishery, particularly of albatrosses and petrels. This study employs systematic conservation planning methods to delineate a MPA within the EEZ that will conserve biodiversity patterns and processes within sensible management boundaries, while minimizing conflict with the legal toothfish fishery. After collating all available distributional data on species, benthic habitats and ecosystem processes, we used C-Plan software to delineate a MPA with three management zones: four IUCN Category Ia reserves (13% of EEZ); two Conservation Zones (21% of EEZ); and three Category IV reserves (remainder of EEZ). Compromises between conservation target achievement and the area required by the MPA are apparent in the final reserve design. The proposed MPA boundaries are expected to change over time as new data become available and as impacts of climate change become more evident.