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    WG-EMM-2025

    Working Group on Ecosystem Monitoring and Management
    Location:
    Geilo, Norway
    Meeting Start Date/Time:
    Meeting End Date/Time:

    Preliminary Agenda

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    1     Introduction

    Participants will be welcomed and information about various housekeeping details (e.g., schedule and breaks, restrooms, safety, meeting server, etc.) will be provided. WG-EMM Terms of Reference (SC-CAMLR-41, Annex 11) will be made available:

    1) To provide advice to the Scientific Committee, its Members, and its working groups on:
    a) the status of krill
    b) the status and trends of dependent and related populations including the identification of information required to evaluate predator/prey/fisheries interactions and their relationships to environmental features and including the role of fish in the ecosystem
    c) environmental features and trends which may influence the abundance and distribution of harvested, dependent, related and/or depleted populations
    d) identify, recommend and coordinate research necessary to obtain information on predator/prey/fisheries interactions, particularly those involving harvested, dependent, related and/or depleted populations
    e) develop, coordinate the implementation of, and ensure continuity in the CCAMLR Ecosystem Monitoring Program (CEMP)
    f) spatial management with the aim of conserving marine biodiversity in the Convention Area
    g) management advice on the status of the Antarctic marine ecosystem and for the management of krill fisheries in full accordance with Convention Article II.
    2) To provide any other advice, within its area of expertise, to the Scientific Committee and its working groups as directed by the Scientific Committee.

    1.1     Opening of the meeting
    1.2     Adoption of the agenda, rapporteurs, and proposed schedule
    2     Ecosystem monitoring

    The Working Group will consider updates on the biology and ecology of key components of the Antarctic marine ecosystem, including analyses to assess a) status and trends of krill, dependent, and related species, b) advances in the krill stock hypothesis, c) updates to key life history parameters for krill and predators, and d) ecosystem impacts arising from predator/prey/fisheries interactions, environmental factors, climate change, and marine debris.

    Under krill biology and ecology, the Working Group will host a joint discussion with WG-ASAM participants to discuss the estimation of kill biomass and stock assessment parameters at a scale appropriate for krill fishery management. Papers on the use of fishery-dependent and fishery-independent data to assess krill population status and trends are welcome.

    Under krill predator biology and ecology, priority topics will include analysis of existing CEMP data, consideration of future CEMP indicators, the acquisition of environmental data at appropriate spatial and temporal scales to identify potential drivers of variation in monitored parameters, and communication of management-relevant results (e.g., ecosystem status reports). The Working Group will also discuss other impacts, including disease, climate change, and marine debris, on the status and trends of krill, dependent, and related species. Finally the Working Group will summarize plans for fishery-independent and fishery-dependent data collection and analysis to support CCAMLR ecosystem monitoring needs and fishery management approaches.

    2.1     Krill biology and ecology
    2.1.1     Advice from WG-ASAM
    2.1.2     Population status and dynamics
    2.1.3     Krill stock hypothesis and life history parameters
    2.2     Krill predator biology and ecology
    2.2.1     Population status and dynamics
    2.2.2     CEMP and other ecosystem monitoring needs
    2.2.2.1     Analysis of existing monitoring data
    2.2.2.2     Monitoring of current and potential sentinel species
    2.2.2.3     Environmental/non-biological parameters relevant to wider ecosystem monitoring
    2.2.2.4     Communicating results (e.g., ecosystem status reports)
    2.3     Other impacts (e.g., HPAI, toxins)
    2.4     Climate change and associated ecosystem research and monitoring
    2.5     Marine debris
    2.6     Fishery-independent data collection plan
    2.7     Fishery-dependent data collection plan
    3     Krill Fishery

    The Working Group will consider updates on fishing activities, catches, CPUE, bycatch, and estimation of conversion factors. Additionally, the Working Group will consider plans for scientific observation efforts, including by-catch, and incidental mortality associated with fishing (IMAF)

    3.1     Fishing activities
    3.2     Scientific observation
    3.2.1     Krill biological sampling
    3.2.2     By-catch sampling
    3.2.3     IMAF data collection and sampling
    4     Krill Fishery Management

    The Working Group will formulate advice for future management of the krill fishery, taking account of advice from other Working Groups. In particular the Working Group will discuss issues related to the implementation of a revised krill fishery management approach (KFMA) that is based on three main components: 1) a regional-scale estimate of krill biomass; 2) a precautionary harvest rate (gamma) estimated using the GRYM, and; 3) a spatial allocation of catch limits to minimize the risk of predator populations, in particular land-based predators, being inadvertently or disproportionally affected by the krill fishery. Papers that advance the three components of the KFMA, its implementation, and coordination with the D1MPA planning are welcome.

    4.1     Advice from the Commission
    4.2     Advice from other Working Groups
    4.3     Implementation of the revised krill fishery management approach
    4.3.1     Krill biomass estimation
    4.3.2     Harvest rate estimation and MSE
    4.3.3     Spatial overlap analysis
    4.4     Coordination of the KFMA and D1MPA planning
    4.5     Krill Fishery Management in Area 58
    5     Spatial management

    The Working Group will review developments on spatial management issues, including updates to CCAMLR MPA proposals, RMPs, and other spatial management approaches.

    5.1     Data analysis supporting spatial management approaches in CCAMLR
    5.2     Research and monitoring plans for CCAMLR MPAs
    5.3     ASPA/ASMA/VME and other spatial management issues
    6     Other business

    The Working Group will discuss any other business raised by Members, as needed.

    7     Future work

    The EMM work plan was updated during SC-43 to include several items based on outcomes of the Climate Change Workshop. These updates will be reviewed and participants identified who will develop work toward these items.

    7.1     Review of workplan
    8     Advice to the Scientific Committee and its working groups

    Relevant advice generated by the Working Group for the Scientific Committee will be collated from the report.

    9     Adoption of the report and close of the meeting.

    The Working Group will adopt a consensus report detailing necessary steps toward progress if consensus on particular elements of the report cannot be reached.