Habitats

As stated above, the UoC fishery is pelagic, towing at depths <150 m, a situation that means that gear would rarely impact the seafloor or its benthic habitats. Such interaction is anyway actively avoided because it would damage the net to the extent that repairs on board would probably be impossible. The only possible interaction of the net with the seafloor, therefore, would be loss of the net, which happens rarely and is always reported on formal observer reports if it transpires. According to MRAG Scientific Observer reports for the years 2012, 2013 and 2014 (up to June), no gear was lost in those years during fishing activities. Occasionally, though, a float or a small section of rope would be lost during shooting or hauling the nets.

The bathymetric map below (Fig. 9), produced by the Australian Antarctic Data Centre in 2007, is downloadable from the Antarctic Treaty webpage. For information about data sources used in the map (Fig. 9), the reader is referred to:

http://aadc-maps.aad.gov.au/aadc/mapcat/display_map.cfm?map_id=13438

Figure 9: Bathymetry of the Southwest Atlantic.

Source: http://www.ats.aq/e/info.htm

In 2009, a Marine Protected Area in Subarea 48.2, to protect the South Orkney Islands southern shelf, was established by CCAMLR Conservation Measure 91-03. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are recognized as one of the most effective means of achieving ecosystem-level conservation, protecting marine biodiversity, and mitigating key threats and pressures on marine environments and the resources they contain. They help to achieve conservation and fisheries management objectives, as well as providing a foundation for ecosystem-based management (Toropova et al. 2010).

The CCAMLR Marine Protected Area is bounded by a line starting at 61°30'S 41°W, thence due west to 44°W longitude, due south to 62°S, due west to 46°W, due north to 61°30'S, due west to 48°W, due south to 64°S, due east to 41ºW, and finally due north back to the starting point. The Measure prohibits all types of fishing activities within the defined area, with the exception of scientific fishing research activities agreed by the Commission for monitoring or other purposes.

Conservation Measure 91-04 provides a General framework for the establishment of CCAMLR Marine Protected Areas and states that the Commission will, on the basis of the advice of the Scientific Committee, adopt a research and monitoring plan for an MPA. Every five years, Members conducting activities according or related to the research and monitoring plan, will compile a report on those activities, including any preliminary results for review by the Scientific Committee.

Fig. 10 shows this Marine Protected Area as a heavy black line, with depth contours at intervals of 1000 m.

Figure 10: CCAMLR Marine Protected Are for the protection of the South Orkney Islands.

Source: CCAMLR Conservation Measure 91-03

Antarctic Specially Protected Areas (ASPAs) and Antarctic Specially Managed Areas (ASMAs) are designated under the Antarctic Treaty as areas of special scientific or biological significance. They are areas designated under CCAMLR Conservation Measure 91-02 (2012) on the Protection of the values of Antarctic Specially Managed and Protected Areas. The Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty manages a database on the locations of ASPAs and ASMAs, and holds information on their management plans and purposes for designation. The management plans for all these areas can be found on the Antarctic Protected Areas (APA) database on the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat (ATS) website: http://www.ats.aq/devPH/apa/ep_protected.aspx?lang=e

The following list contains those ASPAs and ASMAs containing marine areas within Area 48: » ASPA 144, Chile Bay, Greenwich Island, South Shetland Islands (Subarea 48.1) » ASPA 145, Port Foster, Deception Island, South Shetland Islands (Subarea 48.1) » ASPA 146, South Bay, Doumer Island, Palmer Archipelago (Subarea 48.1) » ASPA 152, Western Bransfield Strait, South Shetland Islands (Subarea 48.1) » ASPA 153, Eastern Dallmann Bay, Palmer Archipelago (Subarea 48.1) » ASPA 149, Cape Shirreff, South Shetland Islands (Subarea 48.1) » ASPA 151, Lions Rump, South Shetland Islands (Subarea 48.1) » ASMA 1, Admiralty Bay, South Shetland Islands (Subarea 48.1) » ASMA 3, Deception Island, South Shetland Islands (Subarea 48.1) » ASMA 7, Southwest Anvers Island, Palmer Archipelago (Subarea 48.1).

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are home to a tremendous abundance and diversity of birds, marine flora and fauna and marine-dependent predators, and are a hotspot of benthic biodiversity. In 2012 the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands declared a Marine Protected Area (Fig. 11) with spatial and temporal limits on the fisheries in their waters.

Figure 11: Chart illustrating the location of the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands Marine Protected Area and the additional No-take Zones. The section of the Maritime Zone south of 60ºS is not part of this MPA, but no fishing is licensed there.

Source: SGSSI Marine Protected Area Management Plan Limitations on the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands include:

» seasonal closure (1 November to 31 March) of the Antarctic krill fishery; » ban on bottom fishing deeper than 2250 m;

» a 12 nautical mile No-take Zone around the island of South Georgia and around Clerke Rocks, Shag Rocks and Black Rock;

» A 3 nautical mile No-take Zone around each of the South Sandwich Islands and a 12 nautical mile area around each of the islands closed to pelagic fishing;

» Bottom trawling is prohibited in the Marine Protected Area and bottom fishing with other gears is only allowed between the depths of 700 and 2,250 m.

In addition there also are Benthic Closed Areas: » West Shag

» West Gully

» The Northern benthic closed area » The Eastern benthic closed area » Southern Seamounts

» North Georgia Rise » North East Georgia Rise » Protector Shoals

» Kemp Seamount and Calderas

Regardless of the habitat description under this section, it needs to be remembered that, as stated above, the krill fishery operates with pelagic gear that should not come into contact with the seabed.