CCAMLR: 3 Good Reasons for Implementing MPAs

2060293738_63bcacb53d_o

*This blog post was co-authored by Jemma Titheridge, Rebecca Fiorito, Eva Chu, Theodore Back, Sarina Clay-Smith and Brittany Derrick*

Antarctica is a vast and pristine environment, full of valuable resources and an abundance of biodiversity. However it lacks a major aspect that almost every other landmass on our earth has: an endemic human population. With no humans to claim ownership over it, how are its resources distributed? Who has the right to manage these resources? And whose responsibility is it to protect Antarctica and the Southern Ocean? The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), is currently trying to answer these and other pressing questions regarding the protection and management of the Southern Ocean at their 33rd annual meeting in Hobart, Australia. The big issue on the bill that the member countries are currently discussing is the proposed establishment of two of the largest marine protected areas (MPAs) in the world. The dominating factor regarding these talks is economic interests. Fisheries are a large part of what CCAMLR is attempting to manage, though Antarctic tourism, still very small, is an industry on the rise. In general, some of the member countries that make up the CCAMLR are split about whether MPAs are the best fishery management practice. Clearly, this provides a potential for conflict, since there are such great economic gains at stake. However to create any MPAs all countries in the commission must unanimously agree on a decision. To resolve these conflicts and come to a decision, we need the facts. We’ve identified 3 main benefits that these MPAs would provide: 3 reasons for the CCAMLR member countries should unanimously vote in favour of implementing MPAs.

  1. Protection of fish and invertebrate stocks for economic gain and food security.

5277942078_ae33066536_o

MPAs can be an effective tool for fisheries management, and have been shown to increase fisheries yield. They can therefore benefit fishers economically, as well as aiding species from a conservation perspective. Two of the largest fisheries in Antarctica are for toothfish and krill.

An Antarctic toothfish. Image: Steve Benton, Flickr commons

An Antarctic toothfish. Image: Steve Benton, Flickr commons

Many large-scale fishing vessels currently travel to the rough, remote Ross Sea to catch the prized Antarctic toothfish ($25 USD/lb). CCAMLR members who legally fish the Ross Sea include Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, and Uruguay. CCAMLR estimated an additional 632 tonnes of toothfish were illegally fished from the Ross Sea from 1996 to 1997. High fishing pressure could result in a severe decline of the Antarctic toothfish due to their long life-span. If this fishery is to be maintained it must be managed and the toothfish must be protected.

More Information on Antarctic Toothfish fishery in the Ross Sea (Coalition of Legal Toothfish Operators Inc.)

An Antarctic krill

An Antarctic krill. Image: Uwe Kils, Wikimedia commons

The Antarctic krill is the most abundant animal species and also the largest fishery in the Southern Ocean. Krill may not be often directly used for human food, but they are used in a variety of other ways such as aquaculture feeds and sport fishing bait or dietary and medical products (krill oil is quite beneficial). Although the current catch (181 010 tonnes and 188 147 tonnes respectively in 2011 and 2012) is well below CCAMLR’s catch limits of 620 000 tonnes, the demand for krill products is expected to increase (for example in China, which has the biggest aquaculture practice). New countries have also began to fish krill in recent years to meet market demand. In addition, Antarctic krill play a key role in the Antarctic marine ecosystem as they are a major component of the diets of many species. Many predators such as albatrosses, seals, whales and penguins rely on the Antarctic krill, directly or indirectly through their foundational role in the antarctic food web. The complete impacts of overfishing of Antarctic krill are of concern as very little is understood about the Antarctic marine ecosystem with regards to species’ feeding areas and consumption rates of krill. Therefore there is a necessity to correctly manage these populations for our direct usage, as well as due to their vital role in the ecosystem.

To learn more about the Antarctic krill, check out this informative video.

2. Maintenance and enhancement of the tourism industry.

Image: Matt Schutt, Flickr commons

Image: Matt Schutt, Flickr commons

Tourism is a growing sector in the Antarctic, making up one of the only two sorts of groups that can visit the area, and have a large impact. The number of tours taken has risen dramatically from the late 60’s with a couple hundred, to over 34,000 in the 2012-2013 including all forms of tourism like flights,landings and cruises. There are many activities that tourists can engage in once in the Antarctic such as; dive boats, expedition ships the go along isolated waterways deploying small crafts that foray to the shore, icebreakers that cut through ice giving greater access to formerly inaccessible Emperor penguin colonies, motor yachts and the list goes on. Whale watching is a major tourism industry, heavily relying on the survival of the many whale species that inhabit Antarctic waters. Tourism has dramatically increased in recent decades, and there is a large concern over the impacts of it on the fragile infrastructure. Along with this increase in tourism came the formation of the International Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO) that represent tour operators and is dedicated to ensuring safe and environmentally sound private travel to the Antarctic. This lucrative industry relies on the continued health of Antarctic marine animal populations, which can potentially ensured through the correct implementation and management of MPAs. In addition, as tourism pressure increases, so does the necessity for MPAs, in order to ensure animals a refuge from human impact.

More information on IAATO, and how to get involved can be found at: http://iaato.org/home

More information on the types of tourism: https://icecube.wisc.edu/pole/tourism

3. Continuation of valuable scientific research

Image: Fruchtzwerg, Flickr commons

Image: Fruchtzwerg, Flickr commons

Antarctica is a unique place in that there are no native human inhabitants of the continent. Even today there are no permanent residents, only researchers and tourists. This lack of human pressures has left it as a pristine environment, perfect (and in many cases vital) for conducting scientific research. The importance of scientific research as a resource is clear: it stands to benefit all of humanity, not just the countries who are able to exploit Antarctic fish stocks. The findings from research are widely distributed and freely accessible. Even if we aren’t aware of all of the research happening in Antarctica, the research has a profound impact on the lives of all people on earth.

Here’s a tiny glimpse of what has been discovered in Antarctica to give you an idea of why it should be maintained as an area of research:

Earth’s ozone had a major hole in it.

In 1985 British researchers discovered that ozone was lost from atmosphere above Antarctica. Ozone protects us from harmful UV radiation from sun. This led to the international  phaseout of widely used chlorofluorocarbons (or freons — often used in refrigerators and aerosol cans) the during 1990s in the Montreal Protocol.

Antarctic ice holds evidence of climate change from the past.

Ice cores have so far revealed climate history and CO2 levels from 30-100 million years ago and shed light onto Antarctica’s role in climate change.

The West Antarctic ice sheet is rapidly melting.

(It contains enough ice to raise the sea level by 1.2 meters).

Life can survive in the harshest conditions on the planet.

Microbes were discovered living under an Antarctic glacier with no oxygen, light and extremely low temperatures.

And so much more! at: http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=100855

 

Whilst any decision-making committee involving multiple nations will involve conflict and uncertainties based on differing cultures and interests, one goal almost certainly unifies the member nations of CCAMLR: protecting and conserving the marine resources in the Southern Ocean in an economically viable and mutually beneficial manner. This will require protection and successful management of fish stocks, the maintenance and enhancement of the tourism industry, and the continuation of valuable, widely distributed scientific research. Based on our findings, these three key objectives would be best served by implementation of MPAs. This should be something that CCAMLR member countries can agree on.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *