CCAMLR & AMLR
Background 
The long history of mostly unregulated harvesting activities in Antarctic waters has already contributed to the over exploitation of Antarctic fish and marine mammal stocks. Exploitation began in the early 1800’s with Antarctic fur seals and southern elephant seals; both were driven to near extinction by the turn of the century. In the 50 years between 1930 and 1980 the populations of blue, fin, sei, and humpback whales are estimated to have been reduced to 10% of their former abundance levels. Similarly uncontrolled fishing has reduced the stocks of marbled rockcod (Notothenia rossii) to less than 10% of their former biomass. The recovery of depleted whale and fish stocks is dependent in part on the continued availability of krill in the rich Southern Ocean feeding grounds. Since the 1970's, several countries have commenced krill fishing and a repeat of excessive fishing effort in local areas could have an adverse impact on local populations of krill dependent predators. In recent years, the U.S. has also become active in fishing in the Antarctic, targeting crab, krill, and toothfish. Consequently, the U.S. (via the AMLR Program) is obliged to monitor the actions of the U.S. fisherman, including observation of the fishing operations.
CCAMLR
Established in 1982 in response to concerns that increasing krill fishing activities could have a deleterious impact on the Southern Ocean ecosystem, the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources
(CCAMLR) is an international treaty between 25 nations that seeks to manage Antarctic fisheries with the goal of preserving species diversity and stability of the entire Antarctic mari.gif "Map of the CCAMLR regions used for managing antarctic marine resources.")
ne ecosystem.
Although the aim of the Convention is to conserve marine life of the Southern Ocean, it does not prohibit reasonable harvesting. To this end, information is gathered along with extensive datasets, in addition to the development of relevant scientific and analytical techniques. Recognizing the uncertain nature of these efforts, CCAMLR has adopted a ‘precautionary’ approach to minimize the potential risks of unsustainable practices.
Over the years, Antarctic resources have continued to gain greater economic value. As such, the temptation to work outside conservation or regulatory measures increases, leading to ‘illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing’. The extensive harsh area of the Southern Ocean make it extremely difficult for Members to police (much less enforce) CCAMLR measures to minimize IUU fishing.
Each Member of the Commission is involved in fishing and/or scientific research in the Southern Ocean. These activities are coordinated and regulated by the Commission and Scientific Committee to fulfill Members' obligations under the Convention. CCAMLR's Working Group (WG)-Fish Stock Assessment WG-FSA) provides information on finfish population assessment to the Scientific Committee which in turns provides advice to the Commission. WG-Ecosystem Monitoring and Management (WG-EMM) provides krill population assessment information to the Scientific Committee.
The Antarctic Marine Living Resources (AMLR) Convention Act of 1984 (Public Law 98-623) provided the legislative authority to establish the U.S. AMLR Program, implementing NOAA’s strategic goal of managing the use of the Southern Ocean resources through an ecosystem approach. The AMLR Program (working with the US Department of State) supports U.S. participation in both the Commission and the Scientific Committee of the CCAMLR, and conducts directed research towards achieving the conservation objectives of the Convention.
AMLR Program Leadership in CCAMLR
During the last decade, the AMLR Program has provided leadership to CCAMLR's Scientific Committee and its Working Groups and Subgroups. In the past decade, the U.S. has chaired each of the following groups: the Scientific Committee (SC), the WG-FSA, the WG-EMM, the Ad-hoc Working Group on Incidental Mortality Associated with Fishing (WG-IMAF), WG-FSA Stock Assessment Methods Subgroup (WG-FSA-SAM), and the WG-EMM Marine Protected Areas Subgroup (WG-EMM-MPA). In addition, the U.S. has hosted and/or convened numerous meetings and workshops. During the next five years this leadership will continue. Starting with the 2008 CCAMLR year, the US will convene the WG-EMM, WG-SAM (note that as of 2007, the SAM subgroup of FSA has been elevated to a full WG level), and WG-IMAF. Also beginning this year the US will also chair the Commission's Standing Committee on Inspection and Compliance (SCIC).
AMLR/AERD Conducts Research in Support of CCAMLR
US Department of State FAQ regarding Chilean sea bass