Modifying General Protection Zones and introducing Seasonal Protection Zones for harmonising the D1MPA and the fishery in Domain 1

Domain 1 (D1) gathers multiple challenging elements for fisheries management and Convention objectives achievement. While D1 is one of the areas with the highest abundance of krill and therefore, a large number of marine predators concentrate, there is also an important pelagic trawl fishery targeting krill aggregations since the 1980s, which in recent years has reached the highest catch levels in history. Additionally, D1 is the area in Antarctica experiencing the fastest climate changes, whose repercussions at the oceanographic and ecosystemic levels are not fully understood.
CCAMLR has agreed to move forward into an harmonisation process, and a Harmonisation symposium will be held, in order to reconcile the reviewed catch limits for krill in Subarea 48.1, the D1MPA proposal, and other potential time-area closures (SC-CCAMLR 42, para. 2.85; CCAMLR 42, para. 4.36). In this working paper, by bringing together the different views expressed by Members during the process of proposing and designing an MPA within CCAMLR (particularly the D1MPA process), we adjusted the D1MPA General Protected Zones, and introduced Seasonal Protection Zones, supported by data used during the D1MPA process, and by adding new data openly available in the peer-reviewed literature. This comprehensive effort to streamline the D1MPA proposal could be a significant step towards harmonising different stakeholders views and initiatives in Domain 1. It represents a straightforward and effective framework for the D1MPA harmonisation process, ensuring that conservation is aligned with rational use.