The Expert Workshop on Pelagic Spatial Planning for the eastern Sub-Antarctic Region (CCAMLR MPA Planning Areas 4, 5 and 6) took place in Cape Town, South Africa, from 26 to 30 August 2019 (Makhado et al., 2019). The workshop aimed to develop a scientific work programme that will lead to abiotic and biotic pelagic regionalisation using geographic, biological and oceanographic features. The workshop recognized the significance of understanding the distributions of plankton, mesopelagic fish, and top predators (birds and mammals) to establish an ecoregionalization framework for the Sub-Antarctic region. This framework is essential for identifying priority conservation areas. Emphasis was placed on the importance of frontal zones such as the Antarctic Polar Front, the Sub-Antarctic Front and the Subtropical Front.
These regionalisations serve as the foundation of the CCAMLR process, but they have the potential to develop into an ecoregionalisation process that considers not only the geophysical and oceanographic environment but also species assemblages. Ecoregionalisation involves the integration of bioregions with a biogeographic approach, as demonstrated in Koubbi et al. (2011b) for myctophids or in various chapters of the Biogeographic Atlas of the Southern Ocean (De Broyer et al., 2014).
In the WP1 project, scientists have examined both the abiotic and biotic spatial information layers. This report outlines the contributions of different laboratories involved in WP1, encompassing studies on oceanographic and biogeochemical regionalisation, echo-based regionalisation using acoustic measurements, investigations into plankton and mesopelagic fish diversity, as well as research on marine birds and mammals.
To finalise the results before submitting to WG EMM, a scientific workshop was held in Paris from May 26 to 29, 2023