Developing a precautionary ecosystem approach to managing fisheries and other marine activities at Heard Island and McDonald Islands in the Indian Sector of the Southern Ocean ...

• Main Authors: Constable, Andrew J., Welsford, Dirk
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Cybium 2011
• Subjects: Ecosystem based fisheries management, Harvest strategy, Heard Island, Kerguelen Plateau, Southern Ocean; Antarctic; Heard; Heard Island; Indian; Kerguelen; McDonald Islands; Southern Ocean; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.26028/cybium/2011-35sp-026; http://sfi-cybium.fr/fr/developing-precautionary-ecosystem-approach-managing-fisheries-and-other-marine-activities-heard

Conservation of marine biodiversity and sustainable use of marine resources in the vicinity of Heard Island and McDonald Islands (HIMI) have been important goals for the Australian Government since 1980 when it signed the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources. The evolving marine policy, legal and regulatory framework within Australia, combined with its international obligations, have provided a strong foundation for the precautionary, ecosystem based approach to achieving its goals for managing of marine resources and conserving biodiversity conservation in the region. The elements of the approach can be summarised as (i) the precautionary approach to setting catch limits for target species, (ii) a strategy for managing bycatch in the fisheries, notably mitigation of seabird mortality and minimising the bycatch of finfish species, (iii) spatial management of activities to conserve representative areas of marine biodiversity in the region and to avoid fishing causing significant ...