CCAMLR-43 failed to reach an agreement on krill measures

ARK members called the expiration of Subarea catch limits “a step in the wrong direction”

The 43rd annual meeting of CCAMLR set a high bar this year with goals to implement a revised krill management approach and establish a new Marine Protected Area (MPA) for the Antarctic Peninsula region. Instead, the interim subdivision of catches by subarea expired, leaving delegates disheartened and in disbelief.

Krill fishery management is regulated by a trigger level set at 620,000 tonnes, roughly 11% of the Precautionary Catch Limit estimated for Area 48 (Conservation Measure CM 51-01). This trigger level was subdivided by subarea in 2009, resulting in 155 000, 279 000, 279 000 and 93 000 tonnes for Subareas 48.1 to 48.4, respectively (CM 51-07) (Fig. 1). The Scientific Committee of CAMLR has been working since 2019 to develop a more progressive method to manage the krill fishery, aligning it with other fisheries managed by CCAMLR. The trigger level was intended as a precautionary interim measure and is unrelated to the status of the krill stock. The new Krill Fishery Management Approach (KFMA) being discussed is based on updated krill biomass estimated at the regional level, spread on smaller Management Units (MUs) to avoid fishing concentration. In 2022, the Working Groups of the Scientific Committee produced advice on a catch limit, spread by MUs for Subarea 48.1, which was further refined in 2024.

The KFMA is complemented by the implementation of a network of MPAs in the CCAMLR Convention area. Despite committing to this network in 2009, CCAMLR has only adopted one MPA system in the Ross Sea region in 2016. A proposal for an MPA in the Antarctic Peninsula and South Orkneys region (D1MPA) has been presented since 2018, but lack of consensus at the Commission level has prevented its adoption.

A Harmonization Symposium, held at Incheon in July 2024 aimed to integrate both initiatives. While the symposium’s outcomes were promising, the lack of consensus left participants uncertain about the upcoming 43rd CCAMLR annual meeting.

During the annual CCAMLR meeting, the advice from the Harmonization Symposium was heavily debated. Most delegates viewed the advice as a good compromise, but one member insisted on more precautionary catch limits. On the other hand, another member argued that the KFMA and D1MPA initiatives were separate issues and should not proceed together. These divergent positions, coupled with international tensions, dismantled the fragile agreement achieved at the symposium. Consequently, a rollover of existing interim measures was the best possible outcome.

The failure to agree on the rollover of Conservation Measure CM 51-07 was the final disappointment of the meeting. ARK expressed its disappointment, highlighting the significant progress made and calling for continued efforts towards a solution. Despite this, the meeting ended without an agreement.

“ARK considers the lapse of CM 51-07 an undesirable outcome and a step in the wrong direction” said Pål Skogrand, President of ARK, adding “we can say right away that this is not the outcome we were hoping for or pushing for in any way”.

With the 43rd CCAMLR meeting concluded and the 2024/25 fishing season starting in December, stakeholders from CCAMLR, eNGOs, and the industry are looking to ARK for a response. Although the trigger level for Area 48 remains intact, and hence less than 1% of the estimated krill biomass is allowed fishing, the lack of subdivision could theoretically allow all catches to come from a single subarea. However, the ARK Voluntary Zones (VRZs) remain in effect, and no changes in fishing patterns are expected at the start of the next fishing season. The fleet will operate in Subarea 48.2 throughout the Austral summer, moving into Subarea 48.1 in late March. Meanwhile, ARK will explore options for limiting or spreading catches in Subarea 48.1, which was central to the discussions at the recent CCAMLR annual meeting.