Protections for the Antarctic Peninsula Are Critical for Marine Life Climate Change, Concentrated Fishing Threaten Krill and Their Predators

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A chartbook from Oct 2018

pilipenkoD Protections for the Antarctic Peninsula Are Critical for Marine Life Climate change, concentrated fishing threaten krill and their predators

Overview The waters off the western Antarctic Peninsula and the Scotia Sea are home to In October, the Scientific Committee of the Commission for the Conservation of diverse and abundant marine life. People who travel to this region are likely to Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) will consider a proposal by Chile encounter orcas and humpback whales, fur and crabeater seals, and some of the and Argentina to protect many of the region’s critical areas and thereby alleviate 1.5 million pairs of Adélie, chinstrap, and gentoo penguins that nest and forage some of the strains on marine life posed by a changing climate and fishing. It there. But they are unlikely to spot what these species depend on for survival: calls for prohibiting krill fishing in a zone that covers the coastal foraging ranges huge swarms of the tiny shrimplike crustaceans called Antarctic krill. of penguins and other krill predators in two of the peninsula’s most biologically important areas: the Bransfield and Gerlache straits. The proposal also includes The peninsula region is also one of the most rapidly warming places on Earth, a permanent, large no-fishing zone in the Bellingshausen Sea along the western and the impacts of the changing climate threaten marine life. As temperatures Antarctic Peninsula that is known to be an important spawning and nursery area continue to rise, sea ice—critical habitat for penguins, seals, and other Antarctic for krill. And it calls for fully protecting important spawning and nursery habitats species—is shrinking. Krill also rely on sea ice: These small creatures use it to for commercially and ecologically valuable fish species, including toothfish, breed, and juveniles feed off dense seasonal algae that grow beneath it. If krill icefish, and silverfish. It is critical that these protections include reference areas populations plummet, it would have a devastating effect on the rest of the region’s where fishing would be banned, so scientists could fully distinguish the impacts of food web. climate change from those of fishing in this biologically rich region. As valuable carbon sinks, krill are helping to mitigate climate change. Each year, they are able to store and move to the bottom of the ocean an amount of carbon equivalent to that produced by 35 million cars. In addition to environmental changes, krill face increasing pressure from concentrated fishing in coastal areas throughout the peninsula.

1 Figure 1 South Orkney Islands Domain 1 Marine Protected Proposal for the Area proposal Domain 1 MPA General Protection Zone (GPZ) Scotia Sea Krill Fishery Research Zone (KFRZ) Chile and Argentina submitted a Special Fishery Management proposal for the Domain 1 Marine Zone (SFMZ) Protected Area (MPA) to CCAMLR’s Existing CCAMLR MPA Scientific Committee in 2018. The MPA South Orkney Islands Southern would include three special zones: Shelf Marine Protected Area a general protection zone, where no Ice shelf fishing would be allowed except for South Shelf (0 to 3,000 m depth) limited samples needed to better America Slope (3,000 to 6,000 m depth) understand the health of local krill Bransﬁeld populations; a krill fishery research Strait zone where the effects of fishing on the Gerlache Strait ecosystem can be studied; and a special fishery management zone, which would allow for some commercial fishing of Weddell Sea krill as long as it adhered to CCAMLR Antarctic regulations. CCAMLR is working to Peninsula advance ecosystem-based fisheries management in this region to protect the diversity of animals that depend on Antarctic krill.

2 Figure 2 South Orkney Islands Domain 1 Marine Protected Important bird areas Area proposal General Protection Zone (GPZ) Important bird areas (IBAs) are places Scotia Sea Krill Fishery Research Zone of international significance for bird (KFRZ) conservation. Scientists have identified Special Fishery Management Zone (SFMZ) terrestrial IBAs on the peninsula for

Existing CCAMLR MPA the most critical breeding colonies of South Orkney Islands Southern several seabird populations, including Shelf Marine Protected Area several species of penguin, petrel, Ice shelf fulmar, and skua. Marine IBAs for South Shelf (0 to 3,000 m depth) penguins—including chinstraps, Adélies America Slope (3,000 to and gentoos—recognize the most 6,000 m depth) Bransﬁeld important foraging hot spots for key Marine IBAs Strait penguin colonies. Gerlache Terrestrial IBAs Strait

Weddell Sea Antarctic Peninsula

Sources: C.M. Harris et al., “Important Bird Areas in Antarctica”; and M.P. Dias et al., “Identification 300 mi of Marine Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas for Penguins Around the South Shetland and 2 500 km Bellingshausen Sea South Orkney Islands” © 2018 The Pew Charitable Trusts

3 Figure 3 South Orkney Islands Domain 1 Marine Protected Penguin and seal Area proposal foraging General Protection Zone (GPZ) Scotia Sea Krill Fishery Research Zone (KFRZ) Competition among krill predators Special Fishery Management in the western Antarctic Peninsula is Zone (SFMZ) high. Adélie, chinstrap, and macaroni Existing CCAMLR MPA penguins, as well as fur seals and other South Orkney Islands Southern animals, depend on the linchpin species Shelf Marine Protected Area as their main food source. Foraging Ice shelf ranges for all predators are calculated South Shelf (0 to 3,000 m depth) by looking at the maximum distance a America Slope (3,000 to 6,000 m depth) predator will travel to obtain food. Bransﬁeld Strait Krill predator foraging ranges Gerlache Adélie penguins Strait Chinstrap penguins Fur seals

Weddell Sea Antarctic Peninsula

Sources: David G. Ainley et al., “Geographic Structure of Adélie Penguin Populations: Overlap in Colony-Specific Foraging Areas”; Amanda Lynnes et al., “Conflict or Co-Existence? Foraging Distribution and Competition for Prey Between 300 mi Adélie and Chinstrap Penguins”; Kate Barlow et al., “Are Penguins and Seals in Competition for 3 500 km Bellingshausen Sea Antarctic Krill at South Georgia?” © 2018 The Pew Charitable Trusts

4 Figure 4 South Orkney Islands Domain 1 Marine Protected Krill nursery Area proposal General Protection Zone (GPZ) Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) Scotia Sea Krill Fishery Research Zone survive their first winter by feeding (KFRZ) on algae under the sea ice, making it Special Fishery Management Zone (SFMZ) key nursery grounds for larval krill. Ice

Existing CCAMLR MPA algae production in early spring also South Orkney Islands Southern boosts the growth of adult krill after Shelf Marine Protected Area the winter, when food is scarce. As the Ice shelf sea ice retreats in the summer, krill feed South Shelf (0 to 3,000 m depth) on phytoplankton blooms when they America Slope (3,000 to reproduce. The sequence and timing 6,000 m depth) Bransﬁeld of these processes within the seasonal Krill Nursery Area Strait ice zone determine the health of krill Gerlache populations. Temperatures in the region Strait are rising faster than anywhere else on Earth, causing a massive loss of the Weddell Sea sea ice that krill cling to and the sea ice algae they eat. Antarctic Peninsula

Note: The krill nursery is represented by areas with high densities for two stages of krill larvae: calyptopis and furcilia. 300 mi Source: Volker Siegel, ed., Biology and Ecology of 4 500 km Bellingshausen Sea Antarctic Krill © 2018 The Pew Charitable Trusts

5 Figure 5 South Orkney Islands Domain 1 Marine Protected Priority areas for Area proposal conservation & General Protection Zone (GPZ) vulnerable marine Scotia Sea Krill Fishery Research Zone (KFRZ) ecosystems Special Fishery Management Zone (SFMZ) Vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) Existing CCAMLR MPA include seamounts, hydrothermal vents, South Orkney Islands Southern cold-water corals, and sponge fields. Shelf Marine Protected Area These unique geographical features are Ice shelf areas of magnificent biological diversity. South Shelf (0 to 3,000 m depth) Marine areas are guaranteed protection America Slope (3,000 to 6,000 m depth) by CCAMLR once they are classified as Bransﬁeld VMEs. Strait Vulnerable marine ecosystems Domain 1 MPA proponents identified Gerlache Percentage of times area Strait prioritized for conservation priority areas to conserve in the 0-25 region using Marxan, a decision- 25-50 support tool. Marxan determines Weddell50-75 Sea conservation objectives for the region 75-100 Antarctic by integrating hundreds of data sets Peninsula on biodiversity, the environment, and human use. Conservation areas are determined based on the percentage of times an area has been prioritized for conservation across all model runs.

6 Figure 6 South Orkney Islands Domain 1 Marine Protected Humpback whales Area proposal General Protection Zone (GPZ) Baleen whales, which filter their food Scotia Sea Krill Fishery Research Zone through baleen plates, including (KFRZ) humpback whales, are an important Special Fishery Management Zone (SFMZ) part of the Antarctic Peninsula’s marine

Existing CCAMLR MPA food web. Hunted during the last two South Orkney Islands Southern centuries to the brink of extinction, Shelf Marine Protected Area these massive mammals—which feed Ice shelf almost exclusively on krill—are now South Shelf (0 to 3,000 m depth) on the rebound. Management of the America Slope (3,000 to Antarctic krill fishery must account for 6,000 m depth) Bransﬁeld the needs of these recovering whale Strait Humpback whale behavior populations to minimize competition Traveling Gerlache for krill. Important humpback habitat Strait Most likely feeding was modeled based on tracking data for whales that were traveling or foraging. Weddell Sea Antarctic Peninsula

7 Figure 7 Figure 7 South Orkney Killer whales Islands Domain 1 Marine Protected Killer whales Area proposal The Antarctic Peninsula marine General Protection Zone (GPZ) The Antarctic Peninsula marine ecosystem is an area of global Scotia Sea Krill Fishery Research Zone ecosystem is an area of global (KFRZ) importance for killer whales, both importance for killer whales, both for Special Fishery Management for abundance and diversity. The Zone (SFMZ) abundance and diversity. The region region is home to three known Existing CCAMLR MPA is home to three known ecotypes of ecotypes of killer whales that have South Orkney Islands Southern killer whales that have distinct diets distinct diets and behavior and could Shelf Marine Protected Area and behavior and could someday be someday be classified as unique Ice shelf classified as unique species. Type A species. Type A killer whales prey South Shelf (0 to 3,000 m depth) killer whales prey mainly on Antarctic mainly on Antarctic minke whales, America Slope (3,000 to minke whales, Type B1 feed mainly 6,000 m depth) Type B1 feed mainly on ice seals, Bransﬁeld on ice seals, and Type B2 eat fish and and Type B2 eat fish and penguins. Strait Tracked locations of killer whales penguins. Evidence suggests that B2 Type A Evidence suggests that B2 whales Gerlache whales may be found nowhere else on Strait Type B1 may be found nowhere else on Earth. Earth. Important habitat for these top Type B2 Important habitat for these top predators is represented on this map by predators is represented on this map WeddellPhoto observations Sea of killer whales photographed sightings of killer whales Type A by photographed sightings of killer and modeled tracks of those with Antarctic Type B1 whales and modeled tracks of those satellite tags. Peninsula Type B2 with satellite tags.

Sources: Holly Fearnbach et al., “Increasing Sources: Holly Fearnbach et al., “Increasing Abundance of Type A Killer Whales (Orcinus Abundance of Type A Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) in the Coastal Waters Around the Antarctic orca) in the Coastal Waters Around the 300 mi Peninsula”; Holly Fearnbach et al., “Abundance Antarctic Peninsula”; Holly Fearnbach et and Trends of Type B Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) 7 al., “Abundance and Trends of Type B Killer 500 km Bellingshausen Sea Around the Western Antarctic Peninsula” Whales (Orcinus orca) Around the Western © 2018 The Pew Charitable Trusts Antarctic Peninsula”7 © 2018 The Pew Charitable Trusts 8 Endnotes

1 Delegations of Argentina and Chile to the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, “Proposal on a Conservation Measure Establishing a Marine Protected Area in the Domain 1 (Western Antarctic Peninsula and South Scotia Arc),” 2018, https://www.ccamlr.org/en/ccamlr-xxxvii/31. 2 Colin M. Harris et al., “Important Bird Areas in Antarctica 2015 Summary,” BirdLife International and Environmental Research & Assessment Ltd.; and Maria P. Dias et al., “Identification of Marine Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas for Penguins in South Shetland and South Orkney Islands: A Comparison of Two Different Approaches,” last modified June 26, 2017, https://www.ccamlr.org/en/wg-emm-17/35. 3 David G. Ainley et al., “Geographic Structure of Adélie Penguin Populations: Overlap in Colony-Specific Foraging Areas,” Ecological Monographs 74, no. 1 (2004): 159-178, http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/02-4073; Amanda Lynnes et al., “Conflict or Co-Existence? Foraging Distribution and Competition for Prey Between Adélie and Chinstrap Penguins,” Marine Biology 141, no. 6 (2002): 1165-74, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/ s00227-002-0899-1; Kate Barlow et al., “Are Penguins and Seals in Competition for Antarctic Krill at South Georgia?” Marine Biology 140, no. 2 (2002): 205-13, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00227-001-0691-7. 4 Volker Siegel, ed., Biology and Ecology of Antarctic Krill, Advances in Polar Ecology series (Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing, 2016), figure 2.5, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29279-3. 5 Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, “CCAMLR VME Registry,” accessed Aug. 17, 2018, https://www.ccamlr.org/en/document/data/ccamlr-vme-registry; Delegations of Argentina and Chile to the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, “Domain 1 Marine Protected Area Preliminary Proposal Part A-2: MPA Model,” last modified Oct. 13, 2017, https://www.ccamlr.org/en/sc-camlr-xxxvi/18. 6 Ben G. Weinstein et al., “Identifying Overlap Between Humpback Whale Foraging Grounds and the Antarctic Krill Fishery,” Biological Conservation 210 (2017): 184-91, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j. biocon.2017.04.014. 7 Holly Fearnbach et al., “Increasing Abundance of Type A Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) in the Coastal Waters Around the Antarctic Peninsula” (working paper submitted to the Working Group on Ecosystem Monitoring and Management of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, 2017); Holly Fearnbach et al., “Abundance and Trends of Type B Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) Around the Western Antarctic Peninsula” (working paper submitted to the Working Group on Ecosystem Monitoring and Management of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, 2018).

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