ASOC report to CCAMLR

2020 has been an extremely unusual year due to the coronavirus pandemic. ASOC recognizes that this has required changes to the normal operation of CCAMLR and resulted in a limited number of items being included in the 2020 meeting agenda. However, the conservation issues that CCAMLR addresses have not been paused, and it remains urgent to address them. In this report, ASOC highlights some additional topics of relevance to CCAMLR and relevant work by ASOC and its members. ASOC recommends that CCAMLR continue to undertake work related to:

• Protecting cetaceans in the CCAMLR Area

• Increasing transparency and access to technical information

• Extending the IMO’s Polar Code to polar fishing vessels

• Addressing marine plastic pollution