 | Mission |  | |
| The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) was established by international convention in 1982. CCAMLR is responsible for the conservation and management of marine living resources in its Convention Area (Southern Ocean). |
| Objectives | | |
CCAMLR's management objectives balance "conservation" and "rational use" of living resources to ensure that existing ecological relationships between harvested, dependent and related species are maintained and that depleted populations are restored to levels at which their biological productivity is greatest.
CCAMLR's objectives specifically exclude whales and seals, which are the subject of other conventions: the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling; and the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals. CCAMLR cooperates closely with the institutions implementing these conventions. |
| Approaches | | |
CCAMLR's approach to resource management is founded on two central concepts: ecosystem-based fishery management; and the precautionary approach.
CCAMLR applies the ecosystem-based fishery management to regulate fishing for selected target species while ensuring that fishing does not adversely impact other species that are related to, or dependent on, the target species. Further, the CCAMLR Convention Area is delimited to the north by the Antarctic Convergence (or Polar Front) which acts as an effective biological barrier- the Convention Area is therefore substantially a closed ecosystem.
CCAMLR applies a precautionary approach which seeks to preserve the "health" of the ecosystem by setting conservative (i.e. precautionary) catch limits to take account of the needs of associated species in a manner which preserves the ecological sustainability of all the species concerned. |
| Convention Area | | |
The CCAMLR Convention Area is located in the Southern Ocean. The boundaries of the Convention Area and related statistical areas are shown in red on the map.
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| Legal Framework | | |
Established by the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources which entered into force in 1982. - see  |
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