The very positive outcomes of the meeting, in addition to yearly decision on the total allowable catches for the main species under CCAMLR's purview (toothfish, krill, ice fish and crab, agreed on the basis of the Scientific Committee advice), include the adoption of port state measures to vessels carrying species other than toothfish, the extension of the krill scientific observation scheme and new procedures to reduce uncertainty in the estimation of green weight (live weight) in krill fisheries, in line with the recommendations of the Scientific Committee. This is of the utmost importance for the development of this fishery, given the increasing commercial interest in the species. Furthermore, fruitful discussions on the management of capacity in exploratory finfish fisheries were conducted, which showed that many Members are willing to consider and develop a mechanism to manage capacity. Finally, CCAMLR adopted a country by country compliance approach, which will enable comprehensive analysis of potential non-compliance cases by Members' fleets in order to identify their causes and bolster remedial action.

The Commission is disappointed, that despite efforts by many Delegations, no progress was made on the establishment of a representative network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The EU hopes that CCAMLR will be able to make progress on this issue in the coming year and is looking forward to constructively engaging with other Delegations to pave the way for a representative network of MPAs in 2013. An inter-sessional CCAMLR Commission meeting devoted to MPAs will take place in Germany in July 2013

Background:
CCAMLR is the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources. It is an international commission with 25 members. The EU is a full member of CCAMLR and plays a leading role towards the achievement of its objectives.

More information:
http://www.ccamlr.org/en/organisation/about-ccamlr
http://www.ccamlr.org/en/organisation/members