Antarctic Fisheries

Designated MPAs are the most effective way to protect ocean ecosystems. 

They protect biodiversity, while mitigating the impacts of a changing climate and providing reference areas for scientific research.

Protecting large areas from fishing and pollution will provide refuges for vulnerable species whose habitat may be changing dramatically. 

As the only official environmental NGO observer at CCAMLR meetings, we present science-based policy proposals and provide Treaty parties with reliable information on how to protect the Antarctic environment. We also advocate for strict port state measures to reduce IUU fishing.

 Learn more about CCAMLR.

Antarctica’s Environmental Protocol provides a legally binding set of conservation measures that covers most activities in the Antarctic Treaty area. However, although it entered into force in 1998, some important provisions of the Protocol still haven’t been put in place. For example, we are still waiting for a system of protected areas to be created, and a liability regime to be established.

ASOC campaigns for full and effective implementation of the Environmental Protocol so Antarctica will be governed to the highest standard of environmental protection possible. 

Learn more about the Protocol.

Liability 

ASOC advocates for strengthening liability and accountability for states and operators who cause damage to the Antarctic environment, threatening its land, waters, and species.

The question of who is liable for environmental damage in Antarctica is critical to its protection. An environmental emergency in Antarctica would be disastrous and costly to remedy, with grave consequences for fragile ecosystems in areas that are extremely difficult to access. 

Despite decades of negotiation, the question of who is liable for damage caused in the Antarctic Treaty Area remains unanswered. If there was a major environmental incident in Antarctic waters, there are several unknowns: who is responsible for coordinating the cleanup response? Who pays for the repair work? Who ensures that it’s done, and done well? How is this enforced? And what happens if the responsible parties refuse to do the work? Without answers to these questions, an environmental crisis could turn into a global disaster. 

As the Exxon Valdez oil spill showed us in the 1980s, environmental emergencies in remote areas are costly, time-consuming and resource-intensive to remediate. Establishing liability for environmental damage in Antarctica is essential, both to promote accountability among those operating in Antarctica, and to discourage high-risk activities.

ASOC continues to advocate for the adoption of preventative regulations that both deter parties and operators from taking risks that could cause environmental damage, and establish liability in advance of an incident. 

Adopted by the members of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) under the auspices of the United Nations, the Polar Code entered into force in January 2017. 

The Polar Code introduced legally-binding safety and pollution-prevention measures for cruise ships and large cargo ships (over 500 gross tons) in polar waters. 

While ASOC welcomed the Polar Code, it left more than 50% of shipping traffic in the Southern Ocean at high risk, including all fishing vessels, pleasure yachts and smaller cargo ships (non-SOLAS ships).

ASOC continues to participate in international meetings where the Polar Code is on the agenda. We present decision-makers with policy papers backed by the best available science, advocating for strong protection for the Antarctic environment and the people who work there.

Read about our campaign to strengthen the Polar Code. 

Learn more about the Polar Code.