subject of incidental mortality should be kept under continuing 

 review. 



Ecosystem Monitoring : The Scientific Committee for the 

 Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources established 

 a Working Group in 1984 to formulate and coordinate implemen- 

 tation of a multi-national research program to assess and 

 monitor key components of the Antarctic marine ecosystem. 

 This Working Group has met three times and developed a long- 

 range program plan with three major elements: (1) monitoring 

 of representative krill predators (e.g. , crabeater and Antarctic 

 fur seals and Adelie, chinstrap, and macaroni penguins) at a 

 network of sites throughout Antarctica; (2) comprehensive 

 studies of krill, krill predators, and related environmental 

 variables in three "integrated study areas" (Prydz Bay, the 

 Bransfield Strait, and the area around South Georgia Island) ; 

 and (3) basic studies of the demography and dynamics of crab- 

 eater seals in one or more pack ice areas. 



At its 10-16 June 1987 meeting in Dammarie-les-Lys, France, 

 the Working Group began developing standard protocols for 

 collecting and reporting various types of data. It recom- 

 mended steps that should be taken to initiate monitoring of 

 key krill predators, particularly fur seals and penguins, in 

 and near the three integrated study areas. The Working Group's 

 recommendations were endorsed by the full Scientific Committee 

 and by the Commission during their 26 October - 6 November 1987 

 meetings. 



Development of a Conservation Strategy : There is no 

 established precedent to the ecosystem-oriented conservation 

 standard set forth in Article II of the Convention on the 

 Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources. Therefore, 

 at its 1986 meeting, the Living Resources Commission established 

 a Working Group to assist in determining how best to give 

 effect to Article II. This Working Group met during the 1987 

 meetings of the Commission and Scientific Committee and agreed 

 to focus initially on development of performance criteria for 

 assessing the effectiveness of different conservation approaches 

 with respect to attaining the objectives set forth in Article 

 II of the Convention. It was agreed that Australia, as convenor 

 of the Working Group, would prepare and distribute a discussion 

 paper early in 1988 to serve as the basis for further consid- 

 eration of the subject during the next meeting of the Commis- 

 sion, scheduled for on 24 October - 4 November 1988 in Hobart. 



The Marine Mammal Commission believes that development 

 and implementation of an effective ecosystem monitoring program 

 and a long-range conservation strategy, combined with timely 

 and accurate reporting of catch, effort and related biological 

 information, and development of an effective system of obser- 

 vation and inspection, are the keys to successful implementation 



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