Finer-scale krill fishery management, enhanced monitoring and additional measures to protect the krill-based ecosystem

Given the tremendous uncertainties facing the krill-based ecosystem, ASOC recommends the following to ensure precautionary management of the krill fishery:

1. SC-CAMLR should complete the krill work plan agreed in 2019, and CCAMLR should agree on a new precautionary conservation measure to replace CM 51-07.
2. CCAMLR should renew CM 51-07 if a new CM cannot be agreed in 2022, and formulate a new CM in a later year.
3. CCAMLR should maintain precaution in management. Any increase in catch limits should be incremental and should only happen if supported by science that shows that a new measure improves the protection of predators, and if all the following elements are agreed and implemented by CCAMLR and SC-CAMLR:

• Regular science-based revisions of catch limits at least every five years
• Regular testing and evaluation of the gRym if it is used to set catch limits
• Regular monitoring of the impacts of fishing on krill and predators, and a revision of the CCAMLR Ecosystem Monitoring Program
• 100% international observer coverage
• Designation of the D1MPA to provide resilience for the fishery and to the ecosystem and to be used as climate change reference areas
• Improvement of the transshipment conservation measure to increase transparency, monitoring, and reporting of transshipments 
• Collaboration with ACAP, IWC and relevant experts, including through IMAF, to mitigate all marine mammal and seabird bycatch.