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Welcome to the CCAMLR Secretariat page providing information on our:

The Commission, established under Article VII of the CAMLR Convention, gives effect to the Convention’s objectives and principles set out in Article II.

The Commission includes a Scientific Committee established by the CAMLR Convention. The Commission and the Scientific Committee can establish subsidiary bodies that are necessary for the performance of their functions.

The Convention Area is described in the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources as consisting of all waters bounded by the Antarctic Continent to the south, and to the north by a line starting at 50°S 50°W; thence due east to 30°E longitude; thence due north to 45°S latitude; thence due east to 80°E longitude; thence due south to 55°S latitude; thence due east to 150°E longitude; thence due south to 60°S latitude; thence due east to 50°W longitude;

To accede to the Convention a State must meet the conditions set out in Article XXIX, paragraph 1, of the CAMLR Convention. Namely that the State is:

…interested in research or harvesting activities in relation to the marine living resources to which this Convention applies

A note verbale to the above effect is to be submitted to:

Applications for membership are limited to Contracting Parties that have acceded to the CAMLR Convention and are:

...engaged in research or harvesting activities in relation to the marine living resources to which the Convention applies

The Contracting Party must then notify the Depositary in the form of a Diplomatic Note which describes the basis upon which it seeks to become a Member of the Commission and its willingness to accept conservation measures in force.

A CCAMLR Contracting Party is a State or a regional economic integration organisation, such as the European Union, which has committed to the Convention through ratification, acceptance, approval or accession.

Contracting Parties that are not Members of the Commission are called Acceding States. The Convention is open for accession by any State interested in research or harvesting activities to which the Convention applies.
Acceding States do not take part in the decision-making process of the Commission nor contribute to the budget.

The Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CAMLR Convention) forms an integral part of the Antarctic Treaty System. Provisions in the CAMLR Convention bind Contracting Parties to a range of obligations in the Antarctic Treaty, including:

The CAMLR Convention is a multilateral response by Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties (ATCPs) to potential threats to Antarctic marine ecosystems occurring as a result of increased commercial interest in Antarctic fisheries resources, including krill. Drawing on the advice of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) convened the Conference on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources.

The Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources is an international treaty that was adopted at the Conference on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources which met at Canberra, Australia, 7–20 May 1980.

It is a multilateral response to concerns that unregulated increases in krill catches in the Southern Ocean could be detrimental for Antarctic marine ecosystems particularly for seabirds, seals, whales and fish that depend on krill for food.

The CAMLR Convention consists of: