Another chance failed to protect the Antarctic Ocean

It seems that currently both poles are on news. First, the 30 Greenpeace activists taken by Russian forces when they were protesting on Shell oil drilling. Now the focus has changed to the South Pole. Last week, 25 bodies (24 countries + EU) have met in Hubart (Australia) to discuss the future of the Antarctica and several possible Marine Protected Areas (MPA). As always, there are two opposite positions that threaten a possible agreement. Let's see who they are and what finally happened. 

Antarctica is a continent without a permanent human population found in the South Pole. It is managed by the Antarctic Treaty, signed in 1959, and 50 countries have been added so far. It is important to point out some of the aims of the agreement: to use Antarctica for peaceful purposes (Art. I), freedom of scientific investigations (Art. II), and exchange of information in cooperation with UN (Art. III).   

The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), an organism created in 1982 to manage the Antarctic resources, belongs to the former, but only 24 countries (+EU) are members, and decisions have to be taken by consensus. The members of this commission have met in Hubart (Australia) from 23rd October to 1st November to discuss the possible creation of sanctuaries and Marine Protected Areas on the Southern Ocean.

At the beginning of the meeting, the US and New Zealand together proposed to protect the Ross Sea (1,6 million square kilometers), the most pristine ocean left on Earth. This has been the 3rd attempt to protect the area. Russia and Ukraine have vetoed its protection twice, and even though this time the proposed area was smaller, they rejected again.

The East Antarctic MPA Proposal (Click to enlarge).
Source: the PEW Charitable Trust

Along the same lines, France, EU and Australia proposed the protection of several areas of the East Antarctic (1,3 million square kilometers) region. The 2013 proposition, as it's shown in the image, was smaller than the previous one. Even with a reduction of the area protected, there have not been an agreement. 

The Ross Sea and the East Antarctic would double the surface of marine protected areas of the whole world. The Antarctic Ocean is home for 10.000 species such as the Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni), the Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides), several species of krill (Euphausiacea), the Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii), the Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) and the Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) among many others.

Meanwhile there is not an agreement on protect these areas, giant ships from different countries will keep fishing hard on the fish stocks (like toothfish species), destabilising the Antarctic food web. We can't fail next time.