ANTARCTICA AND THE SOUTHERN OCEAN

Antarctica is a special place, the world’s largest wilderness area, and is important as a controller of world climate. World opinion expects the highest standards of environmental performance by all who operate there. While the land area has been protected by the Antarctic Environmental Protocol, measures need to be taken to stop uncontrolled fishing in the Southern Oceans. This includes the creation of marine protected areas.

Political Parties should commit to:
 

1. Promoting the development of marine protected areas in the Southern Ocean including in the Ross Sea and within 50 nautical miles of Scott and the Balleny Islands, and prevent fishing vessels from fishing in these areas. 2. Introduce a moratorium on toothfish fishing in the Southern Ocean to prevent unsustainable, illegal and unregulated fishing and to protect albatross and petrel populations. 3. Press for speedy negotiation of a new annexe to the Antarctic Environmental Protocol on liability for environmental damage with the inclusion of environmental non-governmental organisations as observers. 4. Actively press for a ban on "scientific" whaling internationally.

For further information contact: Greenpeace, Forest and Bird, and ECO.