Brussels, 09/11/2009 (Agence Europe) - At the end of last week, the European Commission welcomed the outcome of the annual meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which took place in Australia and which made important strides, particularly on protecting vulnerable marine ecosystems.
CCAMLR agreed to set up a Marine Protected Area near the South Orkney Islands. This is the first time that an organisation dealing with conservation of marine living resources has designated a Marine Protected Area under its competence on the high seas. The move was made on the basis of a joint EU-United Kingdom proposal and a recommendation from the CCAMLR Scientific Committee.
Anther EU-UK proposal led to the adoption of a resolution on climate change. The resolution expresses CCAMLR concerns as to the impact of climate change on the ecosystems and biodiversity of the southern ocean. CCAMLR also adopted a conservation measure to put observers on board every vessel fishing for krill and transitional measures to regulate the zones in which krill are caught. The Commission regrets, however, that its proposed trade measure designed to combat illegal fishing activities was not adopted by CCAMLR. (L.C./transl.rt)