Governments meeting in Australia have an opportunity to advance marine protection in the Southern Ocean, with krill fishing rules and a new protected area among the key priorities.
International cooperation over Antarctica faces a critical test as governments prepare to meet in Hobart, Australia, for talks on protecting the Southern Ocean. The meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) could help revive efforts to expand marine protected areas and improve the management of industrial krill fishing.
The Antarctic Treaty System, established in 1959 by 12 countries including the United States and the United Kingdom, set out to preserve the continent for peaceful purposes and scientific research. Subsequent agreements expanded marine conservation, including the establishment of a protected area around the South Orkney Islands in 2009.
In 2016, countries agreed to establish the Ross Sea Region Marine Protected Area, which covers approximately 1.55 million square kilometres. However, no new marine protected areas have been established in the region in the decade since, despite growing environmental pressures.
Krill fishing rules under scrutiny
One of the main priorities for the upcoming meeting is the management of krill fishing. Krill form a crucial part of the Southern Ocean food chain, supporting penguins, seals and whales. Conservation advocates warn that industrial fishing concentrated in key feeding grounds could put additional pressure on species already affected by environmental change.
Governments are being urged to adopt a science-based approach that distributes fishing activity across different areas and seasons, rather than allowing catches to concentrate in ecologically sensitive locations.
Spatial controls on krill fishing expired two years ago, allowing industrial vessels to operate with fewer restrictions on where catches are concentrated. Supporters of stronger protections say the meeting in Hobart should address the issue by establishing limits based on what the ecosystem can sustain.
Calls for new marine protected areas
Another priority is a proposed marine protected area around the Antarctic Peninsula, known as Domain 1. Chile and Argentina have put forward the proposal to protect important feeding grounds for species that depend on krill.
Marine protected areas can safeguard vulnerable wildlife, preserve sensitive seabed ecosystems and provide areas for scientists to monitor the effects of climate change. The Southern Ocean is considered particularly important as the planet warms.
Conservation advocates are also calling for a timetable to establish a wider network of protected areas around Antarctica by 2030. Approving the proposals already under consideration, alongside existing protections, could bring more than a quarter of the Southern Ocean under protection.
A test for international diplomacy
The talks come as countries face pressure to meet a global commitment made in 2022 to protect 30 per cent of the world’s land and oceans by 2030. With only slightly more than 10 per cent of the ocean currently protected, conservation efforts would need to accelerate significantly over the next four years.
Cooperation between governments, scientists, industry and civil society has become increasingly important to advancing Antarctic conservation. Supporters of stronger protections point to the involvement of King Charles III in efforts to bring these groups together around shared objectives.
The Hobart meeting offers an opportunity to make progress without resolving wider geopolitical disputes, by focusing on krill management, a new protected area and a clear timetable for further conservation measures.
The outcome will indicate whether countries with competing interests can still reach agreements based on scientific evidence and shared environmental goals. For advocates of Antarctic protection, the Ross Sea agreement of 2016 remains proof that such cooperation is possible, but they warn that further delays could increase pressure on the region’s fragile ecosystems.
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