Brussels, 03/11/2015 (Agence Europe) - At the end of October, Russia rejected, for a fifth time, the proposal to set up a marine sanctuary in the Ross Sea of the Antarctic waters.
The project was put forward by several members of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) which met up on 19-30 October in Hobart, Australia. The proposal seeks to create a nature reservation (Maritime Protected Area: MPA) of almost 1.5 million square kilometres in this biodiversity rich zone, which is also a fishing area for Antarctic toothfish, particularly by Russian trawlers. China had up until now opposed the project but now says it supports it.
CCAMLR members were unable to reach the necessary consensus on any of the proposals submitted by the EU, Australia, France (on the behalf of its overseas territories), New Zealand and the US, to create an MPA in the Antarctic, explained the European Commission in a press release published on Tuesday 3 November. According to the Commission, one of the major points of contention between the CCAMLR members is the length of time that these maritime areas should remain protected. The European Commission, however, welcomed the “increasing number of nations supporting these proposals”.
The Commission welcomed some of the progress achieved relating to: - the setting of the Total Allowable Catch for species such as toothfish and krill in line with scientific advice and the reinforcement of the Vessel Monitoring System (VMS). However, the Commission regrets that the review of monitoring, surveillance and control measures did not fulfil initial expectations in the absence of a consensus.
Another positive element is that CCAMLR has reconfirmed that it remains dedicated to the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. In this context a pilot project using satellite surveillance in the convention area is still ongoing. Furthermore, CCAMLR members agreed to initiate coordinated efforts regarding climate change. The next CCAMLR meeting will take place on 17 October to 28 October in 2016 in Hobart, Australia. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)