The Governor of Tasmania, Her Excellency Professor the Honourable Kate Warner AM, will today open the thirty-fifth meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).

Over the next two weeks, some 250 marine scientists, resource managers and policy makers representing 25 international delegations, will review current practice and consider new measures to conserve and manage marine ecosystems in the Southern Ocean. Representatives from environmental and industry organisations will also participate in the meetings.

Continuing work started 34 years ago, when the Commission first met in Hobart, this year’s CCAMLR meetings will:

• review proposals to continue establishing a representative system of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), particularly in East Antarctica, the Weddell Sea and the Ross Sea
• discuss initiatives to assess and further reduce illegal fishing in the Southern Ocean
• review conservation measures that regulate the catch of krill in the southwest Atlantic
• further consider issues related to climate change and its impact on decisions regarding the conservation of Southern Ocean ecosystems
• focus on the research required to determine precautionary catch limits in data-poor fisheries
• continue efforts to provide a long term sound financial basis for the organisation.

CCAMLR is a consensus-based organisation consisting of 25 Members (24 countries and the European Union). The consensus model does not mean that all Members of the Commission must necessarily agree with a proposal but that, for a decision to be adopted, no Member blocks agreement. This makes reaching consensus paramount and negotiations can go long into the night.

The Member responsible for chairing the Commission Meeting changes every two years. This year’s Commission Meeting is the second and final one to be chaired by the Russian Federation. Current Chair of the Commission, Mr Vasily Titushkin, is an experienced diplomat with a long history of engagement in international affairs. He is very much looking forward to the challenge of dealing with the many complex scientific and political issues that come up in this Commission each year.

“In the past, CCAMLR Members have demonstrated an incredible commitment to work through these issues, to understand divergent views and work collaboratively to find mutually acceptable outcomes.

“This year will be no different and I intend to do everything I can, as Chair, to foster an environment for that international collaboration to continue to be a main feature of CCAMLR’s annual Meeting,” said Mr Titushkin.

The Commission meeting considers scientific data and recommendations from its Scientific Committee which has supported the meetings of several expert specialist groups throughout the year. This year, the Scientific Committee has a new Chair, Dr Mark Belchier from the United Kingdom.

“This week, CCAMLR’s Scientific Committee will evaluate Members’ contributions to the body of research that underpins our understanding of ecological relationships and how it can inform conservation practice, said Dr Belchier.

“The quality of advice provided by CCAMLR’s Scientific Committee is critical to sound decision making in the Commission,” he said.

Since 1982, with the support of the Tasmanian State and Australian Commonwealth Government, the CCAMLR Secretariat has been located in Hobart, where it maintains an office of 25 staff. The annual meetings of CCAMLR provide a valuable contribution to the local economy.

The Schedule for the Thirty-fifth Meetings of the Commission and the Scientific Committee is available on the CCAMLR website: https://www.ccamlr.org/en/meetings/schedule-thirty-fifth-meetings-commission-and-scientific-committee

What is CCAMLR?

• The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources
• Established by an international treaty in 1982
• Its objective is the conservation of Antarctic marine life while providing for rational use
• 25 Members and a further 11 countries have signed the Convention
• The Secretariat (international Headquarters) is at 181 Macquarie Street, Hobart, Australia
• Further information, including a five-minute video outlining the work of CCAMLR, is available at www.ccamlr.org/node/12769.
Warrick Glynn