16/9/2005
Illegal Fishing, Adventure Tourism And Bioprospecting Contribute To Degradation In The Antarctica

Substantial increases in tourism, bioprospecting, climate change, depletion of the ozone and "illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing for toothfish in the Southern Ocean” continue to harm the Antarctic biosphere, Kofi Annan says.

In a report published last week, the UN Secretary-General pushes governments to continue to make major efforts to secure the area as a natural reserve.

Illegal, unregulated and unreported toothfish fishing increased from an estimated 13,804 tons in 2000-1 up to 15,992 in 2003-4. The number of captured seals also increased from 2001 to 3,709, even though not all countries cooperating with the 1998 Madrid Protocol which governs protection and management had reported their activities.

There was also a huge increase of 308 per cent in ship-borne tourists to the Antarctic Peninsula since 1993, up to 27,324 in 2004-5, from 6,704 in 1992-3. An increase in high-risk, adventure tourism has also wrought havoc on the region, creating the need for new search and rescue missions and country liability assessments.

Describing climate change and the depletion of the ozone layer “major threats”, the report provides evidence of continued glacial melting affecting Brown Glacier on Heard Island and Collins Glacier on King George Island in particular.

As a result, increases in sea temperature as well as a decline in krill due to retreating pack ice have caused reductions in the breeding of three seabird species and the loss of penguin nests.