EU PROPOSAL FOR AMENDMENT TO CCAMLR CONSERVATION MEASURE 10-04 TO INCLUDE KRILL VESSELS IN VMS REPORTING

EU PROPOSAL

FOR AMENDMENT TO THE CCAMLR CONSERVATION MEASURE

10-04 TO INCLUDE KRILL VESSELS IN VMS REPORTING

Explanatory Memorandum

The importance of krill within the Antarctic ecosystem is widely recognised. CCAMLR

Members acknowledge the need of ensuring a sustainable fishing activity on krill and the

durability of this resource, especially given that the possible increase of the krill fishery,

including significantly increased catches, is a potential threat to the Antarctic ecosystem.

Vessel Monitoring System, a system used to detect and monitor the movements of vessels, is

nowadays a standard tool of fisheries monitoring and control worldwide enabling better

control and surveillance and effective spatial monitoring of the fishery. While all vessels of

CCAMLR Contracting Parties are due to be equipped with a VMS device, the Contracting

Parties are exempt from forwarding VMS reports and messages received from their krill

vessels to the CCAMLR Secretariat (CM 10-04 para 10 and onwards). The Contracting

Parties are obliged to comply with this requirement for all other CCAMLR fisheries, with

exceptions for vessels licensed under French and South African domestic law in the EEZs

surrounding Kerguelen, Crozet and Prince Edward Islands.

Amongst many recommendations of the CCAMLR Performance Review Report concerning

krill fishery, the Performance Review Panel noted that "the reporting and monitoring

requirements of the krill fishery are much weaker than those for the finfish fisheries, and

especially for the new or exploratory finfish fisheries" and therefore agreed with the Scientific

Committee suggestions that "monitoring and reporting of the krill fishery should be made

consistent with the requirements of other CCAMLR fisheries".