Hostname: page-component-6b989bf9dc-llglr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-14T16:05:36.429Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

CCAMLR’s precautionary approach to management focusing on Ross Sea toothfish fishery

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 February 2015

Stuart Hanchet ,
Keith Sainsbury ,
Doug Butterworth ,
Chris Darby ,
Viacheslav Bizikov ,
Olav Rune Godø ,
Taro Ichii ,
Karl-Hermann Kock ,
Luis López Abellán  and
Marino Vacchi
Stuart Hanchet*
Affiliation:
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), PO Box 893, Nelson, New Zealand
Keith Sainsbury
Affiliation:
Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart TAS 7004, Australia
Doug Butterworth
Affiliation:
Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
Chris Darby
Affiliation:
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), Fisheries Laboratory, Pakefield Road, Lowestoft NR33 7SS, UK
Viacheslav Bizikov
Affiliation:
Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO), 17 V. Krasnoselskaya, Moscow 107140, Russia
Olav Rune Godø
Affiliation:
Institute of Marine Research (IMR), Nordnesgaten 50 N-5817, Bergen, Norway
Taro Ichii
Affiliation:
National Research Institute of Far Seas Fisheries, 2-12-4 Fiukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 236-8648, Japan
Karl-Hermann Kock
Affiliation:
Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forestry & Fisheries, Sea Fisheries Institute, Palmaille 9, D-22767 Hamburg, Germany
Luis López Abellán
Affiliation:
Spanish Institute of Oceanography, via Espaldón, Dársena Pesquera, PCL 8, 38180 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
Marino Vacchi
Affiliation:
Institute of Marine Sciences (ISMAR–CNR), via de Marini 6, 16149 Genoa, Italy
*
s.hanchet@niwa.co.nz
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Several recent papers have criticized the scientific robustness of the fisheries management system used by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), including that for Ross Sea toothfish. Here we present a response from the wider CCAMLR community to address concerns and to correct some apparent misconceptions about how CCAMLR acts to promote conservation whilst allowing safe exploitation in all of its fisheries. A key aspect of CCAMLR’s approach is its adaptive feedback nature; regular monitoring and analysis allows for adjustments to be made, as necessary, to provide a robust management system despite the statistical uncertainties inherent in any single assessment. Within the Ross Sea, application of CCAMLR’s precautionary approach has allowed the toothfish fishery to develop in a steady fashion with an associated accumulation of data and greater scientific understanding. Regular stock assessments of the fishery have been carried out since 2005, and the 2013 stock assessment estimated current spawning stock biomass to be at 75% of the pre-exploitation level. There will always be additional uncertainties which need to be addressed, but where information is lacking the CCAMLR approach to management ensures exploitation rates are at a level commensurate with a precautionary approach.

Keywords

Antarctic toothfishCCAMLRecosystemmanaging uncertaintyreference pointsstock assessment
Type
Biological Sciences
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 27 , Issue 4 , August 2015 , pp. 333 - 340
Check for updates
Copyright
© Antarctic Science Ltd 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

The authors recognize that whilst abstracts of CCAMLR Working Group papers are available on the CCAMLR website, the full papers are only available from the author or their Scientific Committee representative. Therefore, to increase the accessibility of these papers, all of the cited Working Group papers have been uploaded to the NIWA website (http://www.niwa.co.nz/fisheries/research-projects/the-ross-sea-trophic-model/toothfish-distribution-and-conservation).Google Scholar
Abrams, P.A. 2014. How precautionary is the policy governing the Ross Sea Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni) fishery? Antarctic Science, 26, 3–13.Google Scholar
Agnew, D.J., Clark, J.M., McCarthy, P.A., Unwin, M., Ward, M., Jones, L., Breedt, G., du Plessis, S., van Heerdon, J. & Moreno, G. 2006. A study of Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) post-tagging survivorship in Subarea 48.3. CCAMLR Science, 13, 279–289.Google Scholar
Ainley, D.G., Nur, N., Eastman, J.T., Ballard, G., Parkinson, C.L., Evans, C.W. & DeVries, A.L. 2012. Decadal trends in abundance, size and condition of Antarctic toothfish in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, 1972–2011. Fish and Fisheries, 14, 343–363.Google Scholar
Ainley, D.G. & Pauly, D. 2013. Fishing down the food web of the Antarctic continental shelf and slope. Polar Research, 50, 10.1017/S0032247412000757.Google Scholar
Ainley, D.G. & Siniff, D.B. 2009. The importance of Antarctic toothfish as prey of Weddell seals in the Ross Sea. Antarctic Science, 21, 317–327.Google Scholar
Blight, L.K., Ainley, D.G., Ackley, S.F., et al. 2010. Fishing for data in the Ross Sea. Science, 330, 1316.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brooks, C.M., Andrews, A.H., Ashford, J.R., Ramanna, N., Jones, C.D., Lundstrom, C.C. & Cailliet, G.M. 2011. Age estimation and lead-radium dating of Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni) in the Ross Sea. Polar Biology, 34, 329–338.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Butterworth, D.S. & Punt, A.E. 1999. Experiences in the evaluation and implementation of management procedures. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 56, 985–998.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Constable, A.J., de la Mare, W.K., Agnew, D.J., Everson, I. & Miller, D. 2000. Managing fisheries to conserve the Antarctic marine ecosystem: practical implementation of the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). ICES Journal of Marine Science, 57, 778–791.Google Scholar
De la Mare, W.K. 1996. Some recent developments in the management of marine living resources. In Floyd, R.B., Shepherd, A.W. & de Barro, P.J., eds. Frontiers of population ecology. Melbourne: CSIRO Publishing, 599–616.Google Scholar
De Oliveira, J.A.A., Kell, L.T., Punt, A.E., Roel, B.A. & Butterworth, D.S. 2008. Managing without best predictions: the Management Strategy Evaluation framework. In Payne, A., Cotter, J. & Potter, T., eds. Advances in fisheries science. 50 years on from Beverton and Holt. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 104–134.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Delegation of New Zealand. 2008. The Ross Sea Antarctic toothfish fishery: review of the 3-year experiment and development of medium-term research objectives and an operational framework for the fishery. Document SC-CAMLR-WG-FSA-08.50. Hobart, TAS: CCAMLR.Google Scholar
Delegations of New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom. 2014. Medium-term research plan for the Ross Sea toothfish fishery. Document SC-CAMLR-WG-FSA-14.60. Hobart, TAS: CCAMLR.Google Scholar
Dunn, A., Horn, P.L. & Hanchet, S.M. 2006. Revised estimates of the biological parameters for Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni) in the Ross Sea. Document SC-CAMLR-WG-FSA-SAM-06.08. Hobart, TAS: CCAMLR.Google Scholar
Eisert, R., Pinkerton, M.H., Newsome, S.D. & Oftedal, O.T. 2013. A critical re-examination of the evidence for a possible dependence of Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) on Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni) in the Ross Sea, Antarctica. Document SC-CAMLR-WG-EMM-13.28. Hobart, TAS: CCAMLR.Google Scholar
Francis, R.I.C.C. 2011. Data weighting in statistical fisheries stock assessment models. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 68, 1124–1138.Google Scholar
Geromont, H.F. & Butterworth, D.S. 2014. Complex assessments or simple management procedures for efficient fisheries management: a comparative study. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 10.1093/icesjms/fsu017.Google Scholar
Hanchet, S.M., Rickard, G.J., Fenaughty, J.M., Dunn, A. & Williams, M.J.H. 2008. A hypothetical life cycle for Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni) in the Ross Sea region. CCAMLR Science, 15, 35–53.Google Scholar
Hilborn, R. 2010. Pretty good yield and exploited fishes. Marine Policy, 34, 193–196.Google Scholar
Horn, P.L., Sutton, C.P. & DeVries, A.L. 2003. Evidence to support the annual formation of growth zones in otoliths of Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni). CCAMLR Science, 10, 125–138.Google Scholar
Jacquet, J., Pauly, D., Ainley, D., Holt, S., Dayton, P. & Jackson, J. 2010. Seafood stewardship in crisis. Nature, 476, 28–29.Google Scholar
Kohen, M., Berguno, J., Everson, I., Gilbert, N., Marschoff, E., Meere, F., Richardson, M., Sanchez, R. & Sainsbury, K. 2007. CCAMLR performance review panel report. Available at: http://www.ccamlr.org/en/ccamlr-xxvii/08.Google Scholar
Lodge, M.W, Anderson, D., Løbach, T., Munro, G., Sainsbury, K. & Willock, A. 2007. Recommended best practices for regional fisheries management organizations. Report of an independent panel to develop a model for improved governance by Regional Fisheries Management Organizations. London: The Royal Institute of International Affairs. Available at: http://www.chathamhouse.org/publications/papers/view/108602.Google Scholar
Mormede, S. & Dunn, A. 2013a. Quantifying vessel performance in the CCAMLR tagging program: spatially and temporally controlled measures of tag-detection rates. CCAMLR Science, 20, 73–80.Google Scholar
Mormede, S. & Dunn, A. 2013b. Investigation of potential biases in the assessment of Antarctic toothfish in the Ross Sea fishery using outputs from a spatially explicit operating model. Document SC-CAMLR-WG-SAM-13.36. Hobart, TAS: CCAMLR.Google Scholar
Mormede, S., Dunn, A. & Hanchet, S. M. 2011. Assessment models for Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni) in the Ross Sea for the years 1997/98 to 2010/11. Document SC-CAMLR-WG-FSA-11.42. Hobart, TAS: CCAMLR.Google Scholar
Mormede, S., Dunn, A. & Hanchet, S. M. 2014a. A stock assessment model of Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni) in the Ross Sea region incorporating multi-year mark-recapture data. CCAMLR Science, 21, 39–62.Google Scholar
Mormede, S., Dunn, A., Hanchet, S.M. & Parker, S. 2014b. Spatially explicit population dynamics models for Antarctic toothfish in the Ross Sea region. CCAMLR Science, 21, 19–37.Google Scholar
Mormede, S., Parker, S.J., Hanchet, S.M., Dunn, A. & Gregory, S. 2014c. Results of the third CCAMLR sponsored research survey to monitor abundance of sub-adult Antarctic toothfish in the southern Ross Sea, February 2014 and development of the time series. Document SC-CAMLR-WG-FSA-14.51. Hobart, TAS: CCAMLR.Google Scholar
Mormede, S., Pinkerton, M.H., Dunn, A., Hanchet, S.M. & Parker, S.J. 2014d. Development of a spatially-explicit minimum realistic model for Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni) and its main prey (Macrouridae and Channichthyidae) in the Ross Sea. Document SC-CAMLR-WG-EMM-14.51. Hobart, TAS: CCAMLR.Google Scholar
Parker, S.J. & Grimes, P.J. 2010. Length and age at spawning of Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni) in the Ross Sea. CCAMLR Science, 17, 53–73.Google Scholar
Pinkerton, M.H. & Bradford-Grieve, J.M. 2014. Characterizing foodweb structure to identify potential ecosystem effects of fishing in the Ross Sea, Antarctica. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 71, 10.1093/icesjms/fst230.Google Scholar
Pinkerton, M.H., Bradford-Grieve, J.M. & Hanchet, S.M. 2010. A balanced model of the food web of the Ross Sea, Antarctica. CCAMLR Science, 17, 1–31.Google Scholar
SC-CAMLR. 2007. Report of the twenty-sixth meeting of the scientific committee (SC-CAMLR-XXVI). Paragraphs 3.94–3.100. Hobart, TAS: CCAMLR, 702 pp.Google Scholar
SC-CAMLR. 2008. Report of the twenty-seventh meeting of the scientific committee (SC-CAMLR-XXVII). Annex 5, paragraphs 5.88–5.107. Hobart, TAS: CCAMLR, 635 pp.Google Scholar
SC-CAMLR. 2009. Report of the twenty-eighth meeting of the scientific committee (SC-CAMLR-XXVIII). Annex 4, paragraphs 2.1–2.53. Hobart, TAS: CCAMLR, 598 pp.Google Scholar
SC-CAMLR. 2013. Report of the thirty-second meeting of the scientific committee (SC-CAMLR-XXXII). Hobart, TAS: CCAMLR, 122 pp.Google Scholar
Torres, L., Pinkerton, M.H., Pitman, R., Durban, J. & Eisert, R. 2013. To what extent do type C killer whales (Orcinus orca) feed on Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni) in the Ross Sea, Antarctica? Document SC-CAMLR-WG-EMM-13.29. Hobart, TAS: CCAMLR.Google Scholar
Welsford, D.C. & Ziegler, P.E. 2013. Factors that may influence the accuracy of abundance estimates from CCAMLR tag-recapture programs for Dissostichus spp. and best practice for addressing bias. CCAMLR Science, 20, 63–72.Google Scholar