CCAMLR

Subantarctic skuas Catharacta antarctica are key predators of burrowing petrels at sub-Antarctic islands, and can be used to monitor the health of burrowing petrel populations. A survey of skuas at the Prince Edward Islands was conducted during December 2008, repeating a previous survey in December 2001. Prince Edward Island (46 km2) remains free of introduced mammals, whereas Marion Island (290 km2) had a feral population of cats from the 1950s to 1980s, and still supports a large population of introduced house mice Mus musculus. Breeding skuas were more widespread, occurred at greater densities and extended to higher elevations at Prince Edward Island than Marion Island. Prince Edward also supported twice as many non-breeding birds. Burrowing petrels comprised 96% of prey in skua middens at Prince Edward Island compared to only 22% on Marion Island where penguins are more important. The numbers of breeding pairs at Prince Edward Island increased from 2001 to 2008, probably as a result of better coverage in 2008, whereas the number of skua nests on Marion Island was barely half that counted in 2001, continuing an apparent decrease in this species at Marion Island since the 1980s. There is no evidence that removal of cats from Marion Island in the early 1990s has benefited the major native predator of burrowing petrels.

Numbers of Crozet shags Phalacrocorax [atriceps] melanogenis breeding at Marion Island decreased by more than 70% from 840 pairs in 1994/95 to 220 pairs in 2003/04 and then increased to some 500 pairs in 2008/09. The trends are thought to have been influenced by breeding success, which averaged 0.30 and 0.66 chicks per pair per year from 1998/99– 2002/03 and 2003/04–2008/09, respectively. There were similar trends in numbers breeding and breeding success of gentoo penguins Pygoscelis papua, which at Marion Island have a similar diet to Crozet shags, suggesting that both species may have been influenced by food availability. Numbers of Crozet shags breeding at Prince Edward Island approximately doubled between the summers of 2001/02 and 2008/09. In 2008/09, some 600 pairs of Crozet shags were breeding at the Prince Edward Islands.

Four species of penguin breed regularly at South Africa’s Prince Edward Islands: king penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus, gentoo penguin Pygoscelis papua, macaroni penguin Eudyptes chrysolophus and southern rockhopper penguin E. chrysocome. In December 2008 it was estimated that some 65 000 pairs of king penguins were incubating eggs at Marion Island, the larger of the two islands in the group, and 2000 pairs at Prince Edward Island. At Marion Island from 1987–2008, there was no long-term trend in numbers of king penguin chicks that survived to the end of the winter period, but there was considerable fluctuation in chick production in the 1990s. It was roughly estimated that on average 88% of king penguin chicks survived the winter period (from April to September/October). Numbers of gentoo penguins at Marion Island decreased from more than 1300 pairs in the mid 1990s to fewer than 800 pairs in 2003, and then increased to almost 1100 pairs in 2008 as breeding success improved. Between 1994/95 and 2008/09 numbers of macaroni and southern rockhopper penguins at Marion Island decreased by about 30% and 70%, respectively. In 2008/09, some 290 000 pairs of macaroni penguins bred at this island, mostly in two large colonies where there was a progressive decrease in the density of nests. At both these colonies decreases in numbers breeding followed outbreaks of disease. Inadequate breeding success has influenced the decreases of macaroni and rockhopper penguins. In 2008/09, some 42 000 pairs of southern rockhopper penguins bred at Marion Island and 12 000 pairs of macaroni penguins and 38 000 pairs of southern rockhopper penguins at Prince Edward Island.

The data of krill fishery in Subarea 48 for 1986 – 2008 presented to CAMLR database by haul-by-haul data were used. Standardizing CPUE was performed by applying the generalized linear model with random effects (GLMM). The analysis of diagnostics of GLMM tuning indicated that the model with Tweedie’s distribution satisfactorily describes the set of data collected in Subareas 48.1, 48.2 and 48.3. However, there were many hauls to be interpreted as “outliers”, i.e. the points from the sample where residuals significantly deviated from the normal distribution. The number of krill hauls, where Pearson’s residuals corresponded to quintiles of normal distribution more then 2, constituted 2.3% of the total number of krill hauls in the CAMLR database for 1986 – 2008. It was shown that extremely high CPUE values are results from converting high catch values obtained for a short time haul (5-10-15 min) into catches per hour. Such high CPUE values constituted 100 – 600t/hour and more (up to 1000 t/hour). The» outliers by different fleets (countries) in the Subareas 48.1-48.3 were analyzed. The procedures of CPUE indices estimation for krill fishery description claim special attention. The authors discussed several approaches to improve diagnostics of GLMM tuning for krill fishery analysis.

At CCAMLR-XXIX, the Commission recommended that a staffing and salary strategy be included in the review of the Secretariat’s Strategic Plan and that SCAF consider the outcomes of that review at its meeting in 2011 (CCAMLR-XXIX, paragraph 3.5 and 3.10). In addition, following consideration at last year’s meetings of WG-SAM and WG-FSA the Commission adopted a recommendation from the Scientific Committee (SC-CAMLR-XXIX, paragraph 14.2) that a review of the Secretariat’s data management systems be undertaken (CCAMLR-XXIX, paragraph 3.7).

This paper provides the 2011 meetings of WG-SAM and WG-EMM with a brief description of the process that has been supported since CCAMLR-XXIX to address these tasks and the principal outcomes of relevance to the Scientific Committee and its working groups.

An independent review of CCAMLR’s data management systems was conducted in early 2011 as part of the on-going work of the Commission to ensure that CCAMLR’s information assets are appropriately managed and that data and information are made available in accordance with CCAMLR’s rules for data access and use, and in an efficient manner to authorised parties. The review focused on determining risks that are relevant to the organisation’s information assets, assessing system controls, and mitigating identified risks using an appropriate international standard as a benchmark.

The review recommended changes to the Secretariat’s organisational structure, the development of IT and data strategies, the further development of procedures for data processing and quality assurance, improvements to application systems including the CCAMLR website, and upgrades to the Secretariat’s IT infrastructure and services. The reviewers proposed that these recommendations be implemented as part of the Secretariat’s review of its Strategic Plan and through the phased implementation of ten specific projects.

The Secretariat’s revised Strategic Plan has addressed recommendations dealing with improvements to the organisational structure. In addition, three projects identified by the review were initiated in 2011: redevelopment of the Secretariat’s document archive; development of an Enterprise Data Model; and redevelopment of the CCAMLR Website. The priorities, costs and key resources for the remaining projects are outlined, together with a proposed schedule for their implementation.

A survey was conducted in order to collect information for the stock status and various biological information on toothfish in Division 58.4.4a & b (Ob Lena Bank) by using a commercial bottom longline vessel, Shinsei Maru No. 3, from March 30 to May 2, 2011. The survey was undertaken according to the decision in the 29th CCAMLR Meeting of the Commission (CCAMLR-XXIX, 2010; paragraph 4.62). This report described the results during the survey in two SSRUs (B & C) of Ob Lena Bank. Total catch (excluding fish released alive) of Dissostichus eleginoides and other by-catch species was 37.8 tonnes in the survey area in 70 longline sets. D. eleginoides showed the highest catch of 35.4 tonnes, contributing 93.6 % to the total catch. CPUEs of D. eleginoides for 56 hauls where only trotline system was adopted in the SSRUs were 15.3 ± 1.1 indiv. / 1,000 hooks (mean ± SE) in terms of number and 111.2 ± 11.4 kg / 1,000 hooks in terms of weight. The CPUE in terms of weight in SSRU B (88.2 ± 13.5 kg / 1,000 hooks) was significantly lower than that (168.7 ± 22.2 kg / 1,000 hooks) in the same SSRU in the 2009/10 survey, although the CPUE in terms of number was same level between the years. This may be due to the catch of small fish in the shallow area < 500 m in the 2010/11. The smaller size of fish tended to be caught in the shallower area over the SSRUs. The operation was scarcely conducted in such shallow area and the average size of fish was larger in the 2009/10. The maturity index Stage I (immature) was dominant for both sexes of D. eleginoides during the 2010/11 survey. A total of 189 individuals of toothfish with good physical condition were tagged and released during the survey, and 4 D. eleginoides, which were tagged and released in SSRU C during the 2007/08 and 2009/10, were recaptured in the same SSRU. The overlap of size between the fish released with tag and that of overall catch was considerably high (θ=95 %).

In accordance with the Conservation Measure 41-07 (2010), a survey was conducted in order to collect information for the stock status and biology of toothfish in the southeast sector (24 allocated hauls) of Division 58.4.3b (BANZARE Bank), using a commercial bottom longline vessel Shinsei Maru No. 3, from May 7 to 16, 2011. Shinsei Maru Trot line system was used as fishing gear for 19 hauls. Comparison test using trotline and Spanish line systems were made for 5 hauls. Total catch (excluding fish released alive) of Dissostichus spp. and other bycatch species was 12.0 tonnes in the SE sector, where the catch limit of 15 tonnes was set. Dissostichus spp. made up 90.3 % in terms of weight of the whole fish caught. CPUE of Dissostichus spp. was 105.9 ± 16.2 kg / 1,000 hooks (mean ± SE) for the hauls where trotline system was employed. This was lower than 125 ± 13.1kg / 1,000 hooks in the 2009/10 survey, although there was no significant difference. Among two species of toothfish, Dissostichus mawsoni was dominant (79 % in weight to the total toothfish). D. mawsoni was mainly caught at 1300-1700 m depths while D. eleginoides at 700-900 m depths. Both maturity index and relative weight of gonads to body weight for D. mawsoni. were higher than those recorded in the previous two fishery periods conducted in earlier seasons (December-February in 2008/09 and 2009/10). However, those indices for D. eleginoides did not varied among the three years. Total of 62 individuals of toothfish with good physical condition were tagged and released during the survey. No toothfish was recaptured. The overlap of size between the fish released with tag and that of overall catch was considerably high (85 % for D. mawsoni and 79 % for D. eleginoides).
We propose to continue the survey focusing the mark recapture experiment for the next 2011/12 survey with the same designs as in the 2010/11.

In November 2010, the Secretariat allocated 1405 random starting positions for research hauls in order to facilitate research fishing by seven vessels which had notified their intention to participate in exploratory fisheries for Dissostichus spp. in Subarea 48.6 and Divisions 58.4.1, 58.4.2 and 58.4.3a in 2010/11. The positions were allocated in accordance with Conservation Measure 41-01 and the advice of the Scientific Committee, and using information held by the CCAMLR Data Centre. Vessels were provided with three random lots of starting positions for research hauls in each SSRU. These random lots were provided by the Secretariat, on request from the notifying Member or its vessel, and prior to the vessel’s arrival at the SSRU.

As of the end of June 2011, five vessels (Hong Jin No. 701, Insung No.7, Koryo Maru No. 11, Shinsei Maru No.3 and Tronio) conducted research fishing in the exploratory fisheries in 2010/11. The vessels completed a total of 124 research hauls and, in all instances where commercial fishing was subsequently conducted, each vessel completed the requirement of ten research hauls prior to fishing.

In general, vessels were able to deploy their research hauls by at least 5 nmiles apart, and use between 3500 and 5000 hooks per research haul and allow soak times of at least six hours. A small number of completed research hauls did not meet all of these criteria: two vessels were not able to meet the minimum separation distance due largely to the availability of suitable fishing areas and depths and/or extent of sea-ice; and one vessel hauled some lines which had soak times < 6 hours. In most instances, vessels were able to complete their research hauls at the assigned positions. However, some vessels were unable to reach the allocated starting positions due to sea-ice and had
deployed hauls in alternative locations determined by the vessel.