Requirements for vessel-based acoustic surveys of krill in Subarea 48.1

We recommend that Members notifying and subsequently fishing for krill in Subarea 48.1 be required to coordinate and conduct annual surveys designed to estimate the biomass of krill at the subarea scale. This requirement can be codified by revising the first operative paragraph of CM 51-01 (the paragraph titled “Access”) and adding a new operative paragraph and new annex to CM 51-07. The revised and new operative paragraphs could identify the Members authorized to participate in the fishery, stipulate the requirement to conduct surveys, and establish survey frequency. The new annex could stipulate the minimum requirements of surveys (e.g., the number of acoustic transects per management unit), particularly as they apply to fishing or research vessels, and we identify several such requirements here. We welcome comments on and discussion of this proposal. We also recommend that SC-CAMLR devise a strategy for addressing situations, e.g., due to equipment failure, in which required surveys are not completed.