. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/CTE/W/113
28 May 1999
(99-2165)
Committee on Trade and Environment Original:  English
THE COMMISSION FOR THE CONSERVATION OF ATLANTIC MARINE LIVING
RESOURCES
Communication from the Commission
The following is the communication received from the Executive Secretary of the
Commission for the Conservation of Atlan tic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR),
Mr. Esteban de Salas, in response to the invitation extended to the Commission to attend the
Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE) meeting of 29-30 June 1999.  While CCAMLR will be
unable to participate at this meeting, its communication provides a brief overview of its work.
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1. Thank you for your invitation to attend the Meeting of the Committee on Trade and
Environment in Geneva from 29 to 30 June, received on May 5.  I regret to inform you that we will be
unable to attend the above-mentioned meeting due to a number of financial and administrativereasons.
2. It is also relevant to point out that the CCAMLR is now in the process of developing a
number of measures, some of which are trade-related.  However, the work on these measures is not
finished yet.  A brief description of this work is given below.
3. One of the major issues discussed at the CCAMLR meetings in 1997 and 1998 was that of the
illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing for Patagonian toothfish ( Dissostichus eleginoides ) in the
CCAMLR Convention Area.  This activity threatens stocks of toothfish through over-fishing, and
populations of seabirds through incidental capture and mortality during longlining.  Vessels of both
CCAMLR Contracting and non-Contract ing Parties, have been sighted fishing in the Convention Area
in contravention of Conservation Measures.
4. In 1997 CCAMLR started developing an integrated set of political and legal measures for
resolving this situation (see Conservation measures 118/XVI, 119/XVI and 120/XVI).  Somemeasures were drawn from the experience of other fisheries organisations, in particular NAFO and
ICCAT;  other measures took into account recent developments in international law.  The experience
of these organisations in the areas of port inspections and catch certification has been of great
assistance to CCAMLR.
5. In 1998, the Commission continued to develop th is set of measures designed to promote
compliance with the Convention, including denial of landings and transhipments by non-Contracting
Party vessels which undermine the effectiveness of the CCAMLR conservation measures.  In
particular, I refer to you to Conservation Measure 118/XVII published in the Schedule of
Conservation Measures in Force, 1998/99 ;  the full text of which can be found at our website at
www.ccamlr.org.WT/CTE/W/113
Page 2
6. Further work is underway and includes developing a comprehensive action policy for the
elimination of illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing for toothfish in the Convention Area,
examining approaches that could be adopted, consistent with the objectives of the Convention and
international law, for areas adjacent to the Convention Area and developing cooperation with non-
Contracting Parties.
7. Within the framework of a future comprehensive action policy, a catch documentation
scheme for toothfish had been drafted for discussion at CCAMLR-XVII.  This is an important step in
the development of regulatory and trade-based measures to monitor the origin of toothfish catches and
trade.  Further development of this draft scheme was undertaken by CCAMLR Members during an
"ad hoc" consultation held in Brussels, Belgium, in April 1999.  The revised draft will be submitted to
the forthcoming meeting of CCAMLR (October 1999) for consideration and possible adoption.
8. I am certain that CCAMLR Members will be interested in developing cooperation with the
World Trade Organization and, in particular, with the Committee on Trade and Environment.
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