ARK strengthens its VRZ Commitment by instituting its first year-round closure
For the second year in a row, the entire ARK fleet encompassing vessels from Chile, China, Norway and South Korea, fulfilled its commitment of remaining outside critical penguin foraging habitats during their breeding season, allowing penguins to care for their eggs and chicks undisturbed in the Antarctic Peninsula area. The ARK Commitment established three Voluntary Restricted Zones (VRZs), around the South Shetland Islands, northern Antarctic Peninsula, and in the Gerlache Strait, for protecting key colonies of Gentoo, Chinstrap and Adélie penguins, from October to February. This voluntary measure, which protects 74,400 km2 of critical habitat for penguins, is the single existing measure of its kind in the West Antarctic Peninsula.
The Expert Panel, a body that provides technical advice to the ARK Commitment, indicated the need to extend the protection to key penguin colonies beyond February, to include moulting of adults and dispersal of newly fledged juveniles, as well as the pre-incubation period.
The Review Panel echoed this advice and urged ARK to grant year-round protection to some areas, in line with efforts conducted by CCAMLR to establish a Marine Protected Area. The measure recognizes the need to set aside areas for studying the effect that climate change and other variables have on penguins, undisturbed by fishing.
Valeria Carvajal, ARK’s President, stated that “ARK understands the importance of maintaining a healthy ecosystem. That is why we have gone beyond existing regulations by taking preventative measures such as the VRZs. We also recognized that proper management requires determining whether, in addition to climate change, fishing, tourism and other activities have potential effects on krill and its predators, such as penguins. With this voluntary measure, ARK is setting aside an area that encompasses one of the largest colonies of Adélie penguins in the Antarctic Peninsula region which has an ongoing, long-term monitoring program.”
This major closure supported by the largest krill fishing companies will see nearly all krill companies operating in the Antarctic expanding the voluntary restricted zones that went into effect in 2018. This step would secure the year-round protection of the largest Adélie penguin colony in the region and send a strong statement of intent from the industry in support of a marine protected area in the Antarctic Peninsula to the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) and the entire Antarctic community.
Studies have shown a strong population decline among the Adélie penguins within the time span they have been monitored. By closing this area, the krill industry reinforces its precautionary approach, upholding important ecosystem values and facilitating a better scientific understanding of penguin performance. This move will also help answer the question of why some colonies are in decline and others are not.
Will McCallum of Greenpeace’s Protect the Oceans campaign, said: “This is a major step towards seeing permanent protection in the Antarctic Peninsula and we are pleased to see the fishing industry listening to the movement of individuals, scientists and politicians across the world calling for ocean protection. By creating this sanctuary around Hope Bay, the krill fishing industry is taking more action to protect the Antarctic than the governments responsible for its conservation. It's a shocking indictment of the failure of the Antarctic Ocean Commission to act on the scientific proposals put forward to protect this area. We urge governments to step up and commit to creating ocean sanctuaries in the Antarctic, free from harmful human activities. At this year’s major UN conference on Biodiversity they need to agree an ambitious target to protect at least 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030.”
In dialogue with Greenpeace, Pew and WWF in 2018, the world’s leading krill fishing companies committed to stop fishing during the penguin breeding season in some of the identified ecologically sensitive areas recommended for protection. From the 2020/21 season, these companies will observe a permanent closure covering 4,500 km2 of these areas, whilst continuing to support the process to create a vast protected area in the region through advocacy and contribution to relevant scientific research.
Andrea Kavanagh, director of Antarctic and Southern Ocean work for The Pew Charitable Trusts, said: “This good news for the Southern Ocean provides a bright spot at the end of 2020, and it’s fitting that the newly protected region includes Hope Bay, because the fisheries closure represents new hope for Adélie penguins. Several of the world’s largest mega-colonies of these penguins live in this part of the Antarctic Peninsula, relying on krill as a prime source of forage food, and some populations have suffered a 38% decline in the past 18 years. The region is also home to seals, whales, and Gentoo penguins. This new year-round closure is an important step, following the seasonal closures implemented two years ago by industry, and reconfirms the willingness of industry leaders to work toward permanently protecting this spectacular region with an Antarctic Peninsula marine protected area. We hope that governments responsible for managing this area can catch up to industry and expand on this closure by permanently protecting this most heavily fished—and most visited by tourists—part of Antarctica, which is warming faster than nearly anywhere else on Earth.”
Chris Johnson, WWF Global Whale Conservation Lead said: “The Antarctic Peninsula is one of the most spectacular and fragile places on Earth. This region is home to iconic ocean giants such as fin, humpback, minke whales foraging on tiny Antarctic krill among a wealth of wildlife such as seals, seabirds and penguins. Since 1979, sea-ice duration has decreased by 85 days annually here and we are running out of time to implement meaningful conservation. We need to establish strong marine management to give nature the space it needs to thrive. Now Governments need to step up and respond to deliver their commitments to protect the Antarctic.”
Phil Trathan, OBE DSc Head of Conservation Biology at BAS, told: “This commitment by ARK to create a voluntary no-take fishery zone, ahead of legally binding management measures, shows that the fishing industry understands the need to protect the Antarctic marine ecosystem. With this decision, ARK is demonstrating its commitment to fish responsibly and sustainably. This shows ARK’s support for the designation of Marine Protected Areas in sensitive locations close to where the fishery operates. This is a first step demonstrating that industry can lead and be part of the solution. To the best of my knowledge, this is unprecedented and the first time that a fishing industry anywhere in the world has made such a positive commitment.”
The newly adopted year-round VRZ around Hope Bay will protect the foraging ground of >100,000 breeding pairs of Adélie penguins, which is a species in decline in the Antarctic Peninsula region, and will facilitate monitoring studies of the large colony at Hope Bay (63°24’S, 57°00’W). Monitoring by Argentina at Hope Bay revealed a population decline of 16% over 27 years for the whole colony, and ~38% over 18 years in the annually monitored subset of breeding groups. It is thought that the largest decline is caused by low winter survival of juvenile penguins. The new no-take zone will shield this important colony from competition from fishing for most of its annual cycle, including moulting of adults and dispersal of newly fledged juveniles, as well as the pre-incubation period, allowing scientists to discern the effect that climate change and other variables have on the survival and recruitment of Adélie penguins.
On this matter, Ron Naveen of Oceanites declared: “I am pleased that ARK has paid close attention to data collection and monitoring aspects of its VRZ plan. Indeed, ARK has highlighted the conclusion of its Expert Panel that there are major data gaps making an assessment of the VRZs impossible without the implementation of a stratified, long-term program that monitors key elements of the ecosystem (e.g. penguin productivity at key sites, whale-fishery interactions) and that such a program also would assist an evaluation of any other conservation measures that may be proposed. Oceanites is proceeding to fashion such a program and looks forward to working with ARK members and Review Panel colleagues to ensure its success.”
Pål Skogrand, Director of Antarctic Affairs at the Antarctic krill harvesting company, Aker BioMarine, said: “Nature is changing fast in Antarctica, faster than policy and regulation is able to understand and keep up with. When the krill industry moves to an all-year closure ahead of its time, this is a necessary precautionary action that we take because we can. To get things right in Antarctica we need to move outside of our comfort zones and develop ‘shared ownership’ of crucial conservation concepts across industry, governments and NGOs”.
Dr Javier Arata, Executive Officer of ARK, said: “We are extremely proud that ARK has been able to take such an important step. The area surrounding Hope Bay previously was open for krill harvesting, and it’s now being voluntarily closed by the industry. Despite minimal fishery activity in this area of late, this move still serves as a strong signal to regulators and scientists. We want to show that industry can be a positive force for ecosystem conservation in Antarctica.”
New schedule of Voluntary Restricted Zones for protecting key penguin colonies.