World meets to discuss protection of Southern Ocean
23 Oct 2006
Illegal fishing, thousands of seabirds dying each year and the impacts of climate change on fragile marine ecosystems in the Southern Ocean are all on the agenda of a major international gathering in Hobart.
Twenty five years on from a global commitment to protect and manage the resources and biodiversity of the Southern Ocean, government scientists and decision-makers from more than 30 nations will meet to decide the future of its wildlife and the living resources it provides.
Delegates from the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which celebrates its 25-year anniversary this year, will this year discuss everything from krill to illegal fishing and the protection of seabirds such as the threatened albatross.
Just down the road from CCAMLR's harbour-side location is the impounded illegal fishing boat Taruman, a 76-metre Cambodian vessel seized by Australian Fisheries officers last year after it was suspected of fishing illegally in Australian-mandated waters.
The Spanish captain and fishing master of the Taruman were recently prosecuted and fined after being found to have illegally taken Patagonian toothfish from Australian waters.
"The Taruman serves as a reminder of the need for governments around the world to close the holes that allow pirates to slip through the net," said Constance Johnson, WWF-Australia spokesperson.
"Unregulated fishing impacts heavily on migratory fish stocks and continues to result in the death by drowning of thousands of seabirds and other non-target species every year, and remains the number one threat to endangered albatross."
CCAMLR has already introduced measures that have reduced seabird mortality from legal fishing practices by about 90%, but WWF is asking CCAMLR delegates this year to further the conservation achievements made over the past few years and to act to address the growing threats , which include increasing demand for fish and krill, the introduction of invasive species and climatic changes to ecosystems in the Southern Ocean.
"CCAMLR has demonstrated the scale of achievement that is possible by dramatically reducing the numbers of albatross and petrels dying in its regulated fisheries," Ms Johnson said. "However, given the threats still facing habitats and wildlife in the Southern Ocean, we're urging CCAMLR to reinforce and further its conservation achievements."
WWF is calling on CCAMLR to:
- commit to the development of high seas marine protected areas;
- improve existing mechanisms and eliminate the threat of illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing;
- introduce stricter monitoring, control and surveillance mechanisms for all fishing activity;
- introduce stringent management measures for harvesting of krill- the staple food of the Southern Ocean's great whales, seals, seabirds and fish; and
- seek greater protection for endangered albatross and other seabirds.
Find out more
Charlie Stevens, Press Officer, WWF-Australia
Phone: 02 8202 1274
Mobile: 0424 649 689
Email: cstevens@wwf.org.au
Constance Johnson, Sustainable Landscapes Policy Manager, WWF-Australia
Mobile: 0421 328 448
Notes
- Despite the extreme climatic conditions, Antarctica and the Southern Ocean supports a vast and productive marine ecosystem. Many species of seabirds, seals and whales, together with unusual fish, krill and seabed communities, are part of an extremely diverse and highly productive environment.
- CCAMLR is the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, it meets annually in Hobart, and this year is the 25th anniversary meeting. It is recognised by many as having led the world in introducing precautionary approaches and ecosystem-based management. While its primary responsibility is the management and conservation of Antarctic marine living resources, its Members can also seek action in other frameworks to address other activities that also pose a threat to the marine living resources of Antarctica.
- Although CCAMLR has made huge progress in reducing seabird mortality, between 80,000 and 160,000 albatross, petrels and other seabirds are caught as bycatch in the Southern Ocean every year - this represents over 300 seabirds killed as bycatch every day.
- Krill, which provide food for fish, birds and mammals and are the target species of commercial fisheries, are one of the central elements in the Southern Ocean ecosystem. There is probably a greater mass of Antarctic krill than any other single species on Earth. Swarms of krill containing at least two million tonnes and spreading over more than 450 square kilometres have been observed.
- CCAMLR is made up of 24 members and nine parties, representing a significant percentage of the world's population. Member nations include: Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Norway, Brazil, Poland, Russia, Belgium, Ukraine, Chile, South Africa, India, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Sweden, US, UK, Japan, Namibia, Uruguay, Republic of Korea, and the European Union.
- WWF's Antarctic & Southern Ocean Programme addresses the over-exploitation of fisheries, illegal fishing, climate change, incidental bycatch of wildlife and the introduction of invasive species through programmes seeking to a) eliminate illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing; b) introduce ecosystem-based management for fisheries; c) adopt climate change adaptation strategies; d) establish a network of Southern Ocean marine protected areas, and e) improve protection for seabirds from bycatch and invasive species.
