Russian Federation is going to continue investigation for toothfish in Ross Sea. The previous Russian program was undertaken in the Subarea 88.2 in 2010–2012. This paper presents the research program in the frame of the research and monitoring associated with the RSRMPA.

Russian research program have objectives to investigate the life-cycle, distribution and movement, biological parameters and stock structure of Dissostichus species in the eastern part of the Ross Sea over shelf and continental slope within the Subarea 88.2 A. The tagging toothfish and recapture tagged fishes to be in focus. The study area covered by proposed investigations is located in the Special Research Zone of the RSRMPA. Proposals include the priority elements for scientific research and monitoring associated with the Ross Sea region marine protected area. 

The research program shall be conducted in the Special Research Zone during 2017–2027 or the first reference period for existence of the RSRMPA.  This program provides possibility for collaborative investigations in the Special Research Zone by Russian vessel and vessels from other CCAMLR country-members.

Closed mostly within the Weddell Sea Subarea 48.5 is one of the closed data-poor CCAMLR subareas, where stock assessment should be carried out. In spite of hard ice conditions at most part of the Sea during mostly all the year, this large water area is very similar to the Ross Sea. This similarity could be found in geographical location, bathymetric profile, currents system and follows from results of the first and the second stage of this program. It highlights the Weddell Sea as one of the most promising area for exploratory fishery of Dissostichus sp. However, fishery in Subarea 48.5 is closed on the basis data on stock assessment absence. The main objective of the present program is collecting data for reliable stock assessment and following estimation of precautionary limits in accordance with CCAMLR decision rules. The program contains schedule and research program of the third stage of the Russian multi-year research program in the Weddell Sea that is prospected for 3-5 years. Detailed plan of fishing operations, data collecting and analysis will be provided for the Scientific Committee and Commission consideration.

The activities of the CCAMLR to minimize incidental mortality of seabirds in the course of longline fishing or longline fishing research in the Convention Area are carried out by means of: a) use a streamer line and b) control of the longline weighting rate. Currently, according to CM 24-02 (2014) and CM 25-02 (2015) which in force, vessels already use gears that do not allow birds pecking up the bait from hooks by controlling  longline sink rates and line-weighting regimes (CM 25-02 paragraphs 2, 3 and 4). Thus, the use of a streamer line becomes meaningless for any vessels using longline gears described in paragraphs 2, 3 or 4 of CM 25-02. It is proposed to amend CM 24-02 «Longline weighting for seabird conservation» with regard to use a streamer line.  

Noting the large increase in new research proposals tabled targeting toothfish across the Convention Area, and the relative lack of progress in achieving research objectives in some areas, WG-SAM-17 recommended that the procedures for research plan proposals in data poor fisheries be compiled and further developed to bring together the advice from the Scientific Committee and its Working Groups in one place, to provide context and direction where the process has not previously been specified, and to provide recommendations for the Scientific Committee to consider with regard to a CCAMLR strategy to manage progress and ensure success of research plans in data poor fisheries. We provide a chronology of the advice developed since 2011, when data-poor fisheries were first acknowledged in Conservation Measure 41-01, and provide recommendations for streamlining the review of new and ongoing research plans. As noted by the Scientific Committee and its Working Groups, we see benefit in an increased emphasis on multi-member collaboration, and firm commitment to ‘off the water’ research milestones such as ageing otoliths, analysing samples and data to inform stock hypotheses, and developing capability in conducting robust stock assessments.

The CAMLR Scientific Committee in 2016 reviewed three scientific background documents in support of the development of a CCAMLR MPA in the Weddell Sea. Germany was asked to carry out further work, in particular regarding the issues and questions raised at WG-EMM-16 and SC-CAMLR-XXXV.

Here, the Delegation of Germany intends to update the Scientific Committee on the current state of the work carried out during the 2016/2017 intersessional period. Chapter 1 of this working group paper informs on the new data retrieval process. Chapter 2 presents the updated analyses of relevant data layers, including an update on the Antarctic toothfish habitat model. Chapter 3 provides a sensitivity analysis of the level of protection for Antarctic toothfish and other demersal fish that explores a range of protection-level scenarios. In this context, we show how the cost layer works. Subsequently, a revised Marxan approach based on the updated data layer is shown. In Chapter 4 we outline the way we - at that stage -transferred the results of the scientific analyses into the WSMPA borders and management zones.

In addition, Germany already took into account a number of recommendations made by WG-EMM-17, such as the use of the recursive Marxan procedure and the spatial projection of data. Some other improvements that were suggested by WG-SAM-17 and WG-EMM-17 (e.g., the reliability of the sparse data sets, the development of separate cost layers for krill and toothfish) will be reported to the CCAMLR Working Groups in 2018.

In Division 58.4.3a, since 2012, research fishing has been conducted in the research block by two vessels using longline: “Shinsei Maru No. 3” (Japan) and the “Saint André” (France). The catch limit for Dissostichus spp. is 32 tonnes in 2014/2015 and the total reported catch up was 16.3 tonnes. For the season (2015/16), the catch limit was unchanged (32 tonnes) but no catch up was reported due to engine damage for the French vessel and no fishing activity in the area for the Japanese vessel. For 2017, one vessel from France visited Division 58.4.3a for a catch of 1.68 tonnes. The Japanese-flagged vessel did not undertake fishing research activity in 2017. The first Franco-Japanese exploratory longline fishery research plan for Dissostichus spp. in Division 58.4.3a (WG-FSA-16/55) was presented to WG-FSA-16, which included research objectives, methods and milestones in accordance with Conservation Measure 41-06 and associated measures. In October 2016, the Scientific Committee agreed that the research plan is appropriate to achieve its objectives (SC-CAMLR-XXXV, para. 3.251), and recommended to carry on a couple of investigations for the following years (SC-CAMLR-XXXV, para. 3.250). France and Japan commonly notifies their intention to continue their exploratory fisheries in Division 58.4.3a over the coming years in order to contribute to the tagging program and to achieve a robust stock assessment. We present here a proposal for the continuation of the research plan as set out in WG-FSA-16/55, and taking into account the Scientific Committee’s recommendations.

Macrourus spp. are the major by-catch species in the exploratory toothfish fishery in Divisions 58.4.1 and 58.4.2. CCAMLR has previously identified three main steps to minimise bycatch; i) avoidance, ii) mitigation and iii) the setting of sustainable by-catch limits if mortality is not preventable (SC-CAMLR-XXII, paragraph 5.230). Here, we undertake a risk assessment of the effects of exploratory fishing for D. mawsoni on Macrourus spp. in Division 58.4.1 and 58.4.2 in general and in research block 58.4.1_6 in particular.

We investigate the distribution of D. mawsoni and Macrourus spp. catch rates in research block 58.4.1_6, and conclude that the current research grid includes fishing locations with high Macrourus spp. by-catch rates in depths between 750 m and 1150 m. To mitigate Macrourus spp. by-catch in future fishing seasons, we propose to either (1) modify the research grid such that the grid includes only areas of low Macrourus spp. by-catch rates, or (2) replace the requirement for vessels to fish within the research grid with structured fishing. The latter option is similar to research fishing in other research blocks within Division 58.4.1 that do not have research grids, where fishing effort is distributed across a range of depth strata (<1000, 1001–1500, 1501–2000 m) with at least 5 longlines in each depth strata per fishing member.

We also provide estimates of biomass and sustainable catch for the M. whitsoni species morph in all research blocks of Division 58.4.1 and 58.4.2 by applying the CPUE-by-seabed-area method using biomass estimates of M. whitsoni from the 2008 Ross Sea assessment as the reference biomass. Macrourus spp. biomass was estimated separately by longline gear type in each research block due to differences in reported catch rates. We recommend that the biomass and sustainable catch estimates from autoline, and if not available, from trotline be considered as the basis for management advice.

This paper presents an update on the ageing of Antarctic toothfish, Dissostichus mawsoni, from East Antarctica (Division 58.4.1) and the Amundsen Sea (Subarea 88.2).  Initially, experienced readers at the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) read a subset of 40 otoliths from the New Zealand reference collection for Antarctic toothfish, with all pairwise comparisons between readers and against the New Zealand reference ages showing a high level of precision (all IAPE < 5%, CV < 7%). Sister pairs of Antarctic toothfish otoliths were also prepared, one using the ‘bake and embed’ method and the other by thin sectioning, in order to assess the comparability of age estimates derived from each method. The values of IAPE and CV were acceptable between the two methods of preparation for individual readers, and between readers for each of the methods (all IAPE < 5%, CV < 6%). The level of ageing precision between the ‘bake and embed’ and ‘thin section’ methods for each reader was particularly high (all IAPE < 2%, CV < 3%), confirming that a similar level of detail is revealed by each preparation method. Therefore, either method can be used to provide reliable age estimates for Antarctic toothfish. Finally, a total of 730 otoliths from Antarctic toothfish which were collected by an Australian vessel in Subarea 88.2 in the 2014-2015 season and in Division 58.4.1 in the 2015-2016 season, were aged using thin sections (IAPE = 2.88, CV = 4.07).  The age estimates provided by this study will be available for use in the estimation of biological parameters and stock assessments of the respective sampling areas in East Antarctica and the Amundsen Sea.