CCAMLR meet on Antarctica failed

CCAMLR (Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources) meet in Australia, to protect the waterways around the Antarctic failed to reach agreement. 

CCAMLR is made up of representatives from 24 governments and the European Union and it has been considering proposals for the establishment of marine reserves in two critical areas of the Southern Ocean.

Many parts of Antarctica have been coming under increasing pressure as the growing global demand for sea food means the region's rich resources are increasingly targeted. Climate change and increased acidification of the waters are also likely to affect the food sources and habitats of many species in the region including penguins, seals and whales.

At the meeting the United States and New Zealand put forward competing plans to create a marine protected area of 1.6 million square kilometres in the Ross Sea. Another proposal would have created a reserve zone around East Antarctica—at around 1.9 million square kilometres, it would have covered an area almost three times the size of France.

But the petitions were blocked by China, Russia and Ukraine. The focus will now turn to a special session of the Commission which will meet in Germany in July 2013. 
 

Q) write short note about CCAMLR ?

Ans: The Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, also Commission on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, and CCAMLR, is part of the Antarctic Treaty System. The Convention was opened for signature on 1 August 1980 and entered into force on 7 April 1982 by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, headquartered in Tasmania, Australia. The goal is to preserve marine life and environmental integrity in and near Antarctica.

It was established in large part to concerns that an increase in krill catches in the Southern Ocean could have a serious impact on populations of other marine life which are dependent upon krill for food. 31 nations were signatory parties on the convention, they include:  Argentina,  Australia,  Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Cook Islands,  EU,  Finland, France,  Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, SouthKorea, Namibia, Netherlands,  NewZealand,  Norway, Peru,  Poland,  Russia,  South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States,  Uruguay, and Vanuatu.

In 1985, CCAMLR set up the Ecosystem Monitoring Programme (CEMP) to further monitor the effects of fishing and harvesting of species in the area.