Chapter IV — International 



these are being imported and marketed in the United 

 States as sea bass and Chilean sea bass and that 

 imports increased in the mid- and late 1990s concur- 

 rent with the development of the toothfish fishery in 

 the Convention Area. The countries of origin includ- 

 ed Argentina, Australia, Chile, and South Africa, 

 which are Parties to the Convention, and Belize, 

 Mauritius, Namibia, and Panama, which are not 

 Parties to the Convention. 



During the 1997-1998 fishing season, there were 

 45 reported sightings of vessels from non-contracting 

 parties fishing in the Convention Area. The unreport- 

 ed catch of toothfish was estimated to be more than 

 22,000 mt during the 1997-1998 fishing season. 

 Market information indicated that at least 60,000 mt 

 of toothfish were traded, most of which was exported 

 to the United States and Japan. Less than half of this 

 trade could be attributed to fisheries operating legally 

 within the Convention Area and in adjacent areas 

 under national jurisdiction. 



The illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing for 

 toothfish in the Convention Area is of great concern. 

 To try to address the problem, the Living Resources 

 Commission at its meeting in 1997 adopted measures 

 that (1) require Parties to the Convention to prohibit 

 fishing by their flag vessels in the Convention Area 

 except in accordance with a license or permit that 

 specifies when and where fishing is allowed, the gear 

 that can be used, reporting requirements, etc.; (2) 

 establish precautionary catch limits for all areas in the 

 Convention Area where fishing for toothfish is known 

 to be occurring; (3) require all Party vessels fishing 

 for toothfish in the Convention Area to carry observ- 

 ers designated in accordance with the CCAMLR 

 System of Observation and Inspection; (4) call upon 

 Parties to inspect and prohibit landings of toothfish in 

 their ports by vessels from non-contracting parties 

 sighted fishing in the Convention Area; and (5) urge 

 Parties to use automated, satellite-based systems to 

 monitor the locations of their flag vessels licensed to 

 fish in the Convention Area. These measures were 

 continued and, in the last case, strengthened by the 

 Commission in 1998. In particular, the conservation 

 measure regarding use of automated vessel-monitoring 

 systems was changed to require that by 31 December 

 2000 each contracting party must establish and use an 

 automated satellite-linked vessel monitoring system to 



monitor the positions of its fishing vessels licensed to 

 harvest marine living resources in the Convention 

 Area and for which catch limits, fishing seasons, or 

 area restrictions have been set by the Commission. In 

 addition, the Commission adopted a measure requiring 

 that all contracting parties ensure that their vessels 

 licensed to fish in the Convention Area are marked in 

 such a way that they can be readily identified. 



The United States proposed establishment of a 

 catch certification system for toothfish. The proposed 

 system would require that toothfish landed in the ports 

 of contracting parties, transhipped to their vessels or 

 through their ports, or imported into their territories 

 be documented so as to determine where and by 

 whom they were caught. Most but not all Living 

 Resources Commission members supported the U.S. 

 proposal. It was agreed that some type of catch 

 certification system is a necessary element in the 

 range of measures required to solve the problem of 

 illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing for 

 toothfish. It also was agreed that the Parties should 

 meet during the intersessional period to try to draft a 

 measure that can be adopted by the Commission at its 

 meeting in 1999. The European Union offered to host 

 the intersessional meeting in Brussels in April 1999. 



Avoidance of Incidental Mortality — Many 

 species of marine mammals, seabirds, turtles, and 

 non-target fish species are caught and killed incidental 

 to commercial fisheries throughout the world. Many 

 also are caught and killed in lost and discarded fishing 

 gear or die from eating plastics and other non-digest- 

 ible items discarded at sea. 



As noted in previous reports, the Commission and 

 Scientific Committee for the Conservation of Antarctic 

 Marine Living Resources have recognized this prob- 

 lem and, since the early 1980s, have taken a number 

 of steps to assess and prevent such fishery-related 

 mortality in the Convention Area. Operators of 

 fishing vessels are required to report lost fishing gear 

 and incidental catches of marine mammals, seabirds, 

 and other non-target species. Placards and informa- 

 tion brochures have been developed and provided to 

 vessel operators to ensure that they are aware of 

 hazards posed by lost and discarded fishing gear and 

 other potentially hazardous materials, and to advise 

 them of what they can do to prevent such materials 



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