The annual meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) could not reach an agreement on the establishment of marine protected areas (MPAs) in Antarctica, the European Commission (EC) has confirmed.
CCAMLR members attending the 34th annual meeting in Hobart, Australia, were unable to reach necessary consensus on any of the proposals submitted by the EU, Australia, France (on behalf of its overseas territories), New Zealand and the United States for the establishment of protected areas. A major issue of differentiation among members was the duration of MPAs.
However, the EC said there are an increasing number of nations supporting these proposals and the meeting did set the total allowable catch (TAC) for species such as krill and toothfish in line with scientific advice.
The CCAMLR also confirmed it remains dedicated to the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and is developing a pilot project using satellite surveillance. Members also agreed to initiate coordinated efforts regarding climate change.
The next CCAMLR meeting will be held in Hobart from 17 to 28 October 2016.
