to carry out inspection and observation activities on board 

 vessels engaged in scientific research or harvesting of marine 

 living resources in the Convention area; the Commission shall 

 maintain a register of certified inspectors and observers 

 designated by members; reports of observers and inspectors 

 shall be provided to the designating member, which in turn 

 shall report to the Commission; and, if there is evidence of 

 violations of the provisions of the Convention or measures 

 adopted thereunder, the flag state shall take steps to prosecute 

 and, if necessary, impose sanctions. The Commission also 

 established a Standing Committee to provide advice on such 

 matters as boarding and inspection procedures, reporting for- 

 mats, inspection and observation priorities, and steps taken 

 by members to enforce compliance with measures adopted under 

 the Convention. There was preliminary discussion of possible 

 means for financing the system of observation and inspection. 

 The discussion will be continued during the 1988 meeting of 

 the Standing Committee on Observation and Inspection. 



Incidental Mortality and Marine Debris : Seals, whales, 

 birds, and other non-target species may be caught and killed 

 incidentally during fishing operations, be caught and killed 

 in lost and discarded fishing gear, or die as a result of 

 ingesting plastic bags and other debris discarded in the Con- 

 vention Area (see also Chapter VI of this Report) . The Living 

 Resources Commission has recognized this and has adopted a 

 number of measures to try to insure that accidental and inci- 

 dental mortality of marine living resources does not become a 

 serious problem in the Convention Area. 



At the 1987 meeting, Commission members reported sightings 

 of debris, including fishing buoys, gas bottles, plastic con- 

 tainers, trawl net fragments, and plastic packing bands, in 

 the Convention Area. In addition, they reported sightings of 

 two fur seals entangled in fragments of fishing nets and a 

 third entangled in the dropper of a long line. To call atten- 

 tion to the problem and steps that should be taken to prevent 

 it from developing in the Convention Area, the Commission 

 directed the Executive Secretary to publish and distribute 



(1) an information brochure advising fishermen, researchers, 

 and others working in the Convention Area of the sources, 

 fates, and effects of potentially hazardous marine debris, and 



(2) a placard, describing the "do's" and "don't's" with respect 

 to handling, storing, and discarding different types of refuse, 

 that can be displayed in appropriate places aboard ships in 



the Convention Area. Members were urged to provide the brochure 

 to scientists and others working in Antarctica and to ensure 

 that all vessel operators were provided with the placard. 



It was agreed that Members would continue to report and 

 to take all feasible steps to prevent the discard of poten- 

 tially hazardous debris in the Convention Area and that the 



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