5 November 2007 - Australia
has welcomed a new regulatory regime which
has been set for the rapidly expanding Southern
Ocean krill fishery - predicted to become
one of the world's largest fisheries.
While significantly increasing the catch
limits for krill in some areas, the annual
meeting of the Commission for the Conservation
of Antarctic Living Resources (CCAMLR) held
in Hobart during the past two weeks, has
balanced this with a range of conservation
and protection measures proposed by Australia
to manage the orderly and precautionary
development of the krill fishery.
The leader of the Australian delegation
at CCAMLR - Dr Tony Press, who is the Director
of the Australian Antarctic Division – said
demand for krill is increasing for use in
aquaculture, pharmaceuticals and as food
additives.
"Increasing investment in the fishery,
new fishing technologies and developing
markets for krill oil and other biochemicals
make it imperative that the ecosystem is
adequately protected before major expansion
of the fishery," Dr Press said.
"The measures taken at this year's
CCAMLR meeting are an important step in
ensuring that we gather appropriate scientific
information before the expected increase
in the harvest of krill."
Dr Press said the annual Total Allowable
Catch for the CCAMLR fishery off the coast
of Eastern Antarctica had been increased
significantly on the basis of the latest
scientific advice - up from 450,000 tonnes
to 2.645 million tonnes.
He said an Australian survey of the krill
resources in this area in 2006 had shown
that a fishery of this size could be sustained
based on an estimated biomass of 28.75 million
tonnes in the region.
"Balancing this is a new requirement
that all krill vessels fishing the CCAMLR
area must participate in the CCAMLR vessel
monitoring system and that vessels operating
in Eastern Antarctica must have observers
aboard.
"The new measures will also require
more frequent reporting of krill catches,
more rigorous notifications to participate
in the krill fishery, and new trigger levels
so that once a certain catch level is reached
additional management tools will be introduced
in order to protect those animals which
feed on krill," Dr Press said.
Media contact: Patti Lucas
+ More
Protecting lives in the Southern Ocean
5 November 2007 - Australia has been instrumental
in a move to improve the safety of vessels
fishing in the Southern Ocean.
The Commission for the Conservation of
Antarctic Marine Living Resource, meeting
in Hobart, has adopted an Australian proposal
to have the vessels that its Members licence
comply with minimum safety standards. These
include suitable survival and communications
equipment.
The leader of Australia's delegation to
CCAMLR – Dr Tony Press, who is the Director
of the Australian Antarctic Division – said
that with an increasing number of vessels
working in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic waters
there is a corresponding increase in the
risk of a maritime emergency.
"Responding to any emergency in Antarctica
is limited by the environment, the remoteness
of the region and the limited availability
of suitable ice-rated response vessels.
"Vessel owners and operators must
be aware of the dangers and risks of operating
in these waters and be appropriately prepared,"
he said.
"For this reason Australia successfully
proposed that all CCAMLR Members require
any of their vessels licensed to fish the
CCAMLR area in the Southern Ocean to comply
with minimum safety standards."
Media contact: Patti Lucas
