Last updated 8 December 2014
Fishing vessel Antarctic Chieftain
AFMA has recently granted a permit for the fishing vessel Antarctic Chieftain to fish in CCAMLR exploratory fisheries. CCAMLR is the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Living Marine Resources, and is the international organisation responsible for managing fishing activities in the Southern Ocean.
At its annual meeting in October 2014, CCAMLR endorsed a proposal from Australia for the Antarctic Chieftain to fish in CCAMLR Exploratory Fisheries in the Ross Sea region of the Southern Ocean.
The Antarctic Chieftain is permitted to operate in the Ross Sea from 1 December 2014 to 31 August 2015, or until exploratory fisheries are closed by CCAMLR, whichever is sooner. The Antarctic Chieftain is owned and operated by Australian Longline Pty Ltd. Australian Longline Pty Ltd has extensive experience in the Southern Ocean and CCAMLR fisheries, having operated sustainably in the Heard Island and McDonald Islands (HIMI) Fishery and Macquarie Islands Toothfish Fishery (MITF) for over a decade.
The fishing permit has been issued under the Commonwealth Fisheries Management Act 1991 and in accordance with the requirements of CCAMLR. Under the permit, the Antarctic Chieftain will be using longline fishing gear to catch toothfish species. The Antarctic Chieftain is permitted to set gear in daylight hours.
In accordance with CCAMLR conservation measures, the vessel is required to use fast sinking weighted longlines to avoid interactions between the fishing lines and seabirds. The vessel has also installed a shooting tunnel that sets fishing lines at water level, as an additional measure to avoid interactions with seabirds. A highly trained AFMA observer will be on board the Antarctic Chieftain at all times to ensure independent information is collected on the fishing operations of the vessel.
For further information on Australia’s participation in the Antarctic fisheries, please contact Jo Fisher, Acting Manager, Antarctic Fisheries at AFMA jo.fisher@afma.gov.au or phone 02 6225 5555