Solutions

Antarctic Krill Conservation Project Statement of Principles and Core Goals

In a January 2007 gathering at The Pew Charitable Trusts' offices in Washington, D.C., the Antarctic Krill Conservation Project's (AKCP) participants agreed on the following statement of principles and core goals:

• We recognize that Antarctica is a natural reserve, as well as the world's final wilderness frontier, and we commit to its being used for peaceful purposes, conservation and scientific research;
• We are aware that krill are at the heart of the Antarctic marine ecosystem's food web, and that further actions are needed to protect that ecosystem as well as its dependent and related species;
• We are concerned that growing demand for krill as aquaculture fishmeal, increasing catches to obtain krill oil for nutritional and medical purposes, by-catch of larvae and juvenile krill, and new catch technologies enabling much larger catch totals could have a combined impact that outpaces efforts to protect krill and dependent species;
• We are alarmed by global threats to the Antarctic ecosystem, in particular climate change, the relationship between krill abundance and receding sea ice coverage, the potential resulting consequences of climate change for krill and dependent species, and the failure thus far of Antarctic management regimes to adequately take into account these effects on this ecosystem and its inhabitants; and
• We believe that any krill fishing in the Antarctic should be subject to the strongest precautionary standard, given Antarctica's special status, the high level of uncertainties involved, and the crucial role krill plays in the ecosystem.

Accordingly, AKCP participants call on the Member Nations of the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), as the key body in the Antarctic Treaty System responsible for ensuring that the unique values of the Antarctic marine ecosystem are conserved, to undertake the following:

1. By 2011, Adopt a highly precautionary, effective and integrated ecosystem-based package for Antarctic krill management by CCAMLR, that ensures that functional relationships in the Antarctic ecosystem are maintained, and that krill abundance and availability for predators are not compromised, taking full account of climate change and other relevant environmental factors;


2. Prevent the expansion of the fishery until these measures have been approved; and


3. By 2011, Formally recognize, through appropriate commitments and actions not limited to CCAMLR or the Antarctic Treaty System, that the Antarctic's unique character as the last great wilderness, as home to exceptional concentrations of biodiversity including penguins, whales, and albatrosses, and its critical role in global environmental processes, requires special conservation actions, including but not limited to protected and closed areas.

Note: For a more detailed discussion of these issues, see the detailed Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC) papers that were submitted to the CCAMLR secretariat at different Commission's meetings (see www.asoc.org).

Since its establishment in 1982, CCAMLR has been a pioneer instrument in establishing an ecosystem-based approach to the management of marine resources in the Southern Oceans. A great opportunity exists now for CCAMLR to become a model for full application of the precautionary principle and ecosystem management, providing ground-breaking fisheries management approaches for the Antarctic region. To achieve that goal, CCAMLR's Member States and other stakeholders need to translate its basic conservation principles into flexible, effective management procedures that ensure the long-lasting health of the Antarctic marine environment and the species that reside therein.

See "Ecosystem Management of Antarctic Krill in the South Atlantic: Uncertainties and Priorities," [PDF] submitted by ASOC (CCAMLR-XXV, October 2006) and "Improving Monitoring and Control of the Krill Fishery," [PDF] submitted by ASOC (CCAMLR-XXV, October 2006).

For more information contact:

• Gerry Leape, Project Director; gleape@pewtrusts.org


• Virginia Gascón, Policy Advisor; virginia.antarctica@gmail.com


• Rodolfo Werner, Scientific Advisor; rodolfo.antarctica@gmail.com


• Krill Project Advisors at national/EU levels.