Incorporating information on the distribution of the krill fishery into Domain 1 MPA planning – report of the CCAMLR scholarship recipient

This study aims to improve understanding of spatial and temporal variability in krill fishing activity in MPA Planning Domain 1, towards the development of a ‘cost layer’ and additional information for use in Marxan analyses and subsequent MPA planning activities. We provide further detail on the location of areas of high concentration of krill catches or ‘hotspots’ in current fishing activities, by examining variability in catch locations and magnitude across an 11-year period from 2005/2006 to 2015/2016.We also analyze the distribution of fishing hotspots at different time scales in Domain 1 and investigate whether these could be incorporated into a single cost layer that adequately accounts for the variability in fishing dynamics, to assist in the MPA planning process. We conclude that the development of a single cost layer that adequately represents fishery patternsfor Domain 1 is not feasible; however, krill fishing catch and effort information is an integral part of the Domain 1 MPA planning process and should be incorporated into the consideration ofrequired management provisions once priority areas for conservation have been identified.