The Southern Ocean surrounds Antarctica and represents approximately 15 percent of the world’s ocean area. It extends from the coast of the continent northwards to the Antarctic Polar Front, a physically and biologically distinct frontal zone where the cold water of the Southern Ocean encounters, and flows under, the warmer and more saline sub-Antarctic water of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans.
The Commission and the Scientific Committee cooperate with intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations for mutual benefit. Cooperation may be informal or, as appropriate, by formal agreement.
CCAMLR maintains mutually beneficial relations with a wide range of other multilateral organisations, industry associations and civil society. Article XXIII of the CAMLR Convention provides that:
The Secretariat structure supports the vision, mission and goals of the CCAMLR Secretariat Strategic Plan (2023–2026). The Secretariat has 26 staff distributed across five sections:
Secretariat staff are employed under conditions set out in the Staff Regulations .