AKCP Report from CCAMLR XXVI

At the 26th annual meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), the Antarctic Krill Conservation Project (AKCP) played a significant role with 12 participants in attendance. These representatives served either as delegates to the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC) contingent, or served on the national delegations of the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, South Africa, Ukraine, Chile, or Spain.

The project secured several victories including formalizing a 620,000 ton cap on the fishery in Area 48 around the Western Antarctic Peninsula, South Orkney Islands, and South Georgia Islands, requiring vessel monitoring devices on all krill fishing vessels, securing a commitment to place on-board observers in 2008 and ensuring that catch allocations for small area management units will be considered by CCAMLR next year. Additionally, notification provisions of intent to fish for krill were strengthened.

These new conservation measures are a first step towards ensuring that the krill fishery is maintained at levels that protect local predators and that are sensitive to changes in the Antarctic ecosystem.

AKCP and ASOC together presented a paper to the CCAMLR Scientific Committee addressing climate change in the Antarctic and its impact on the conservation of resources there. This paper was endorsed by seven countries, as well as the EU.

Find out more:

• Read a more detailed summary of Antarctic krill related activity at CCAMLR XXVI [PDF].
• Read a past press release
• Listen to a press briefing