The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) was established by international convention in 1980 under the Antarctic Treaty System. CCAMLR’s objective is to conserve Antarctic marine life. This was in response to increasing commercial interest in Antarctic krill resources, a keystone component of the Antarctic ecosystem.

CCAMLR practises an ecosystem-based management approach which permits sustainable harvesting but takes careful account of the effects of fishing on other components of the ecosystem.

CCAMLR is an international commission with 25 Members, and a further 11 countries have acceded to the Convention. Based on the best available scientific information, the Commission agrees a set of conservation measures that determine the use of marine living resources in the Antarctic.

The key institutional components of CCAMLR are:

• The CAMLR Convention which entered into force on 7 April 1982
• A decision-making body, the Commission which makes decisions by consensus
• A Scientific Committee which advises the Commission using the best available science
• Conservation measures and resolutions
• CCAMLR’s Membership and provisions for international cooperation and collaboration
• The Secretariat based in Hobart, Tasmania, that supports the work of the Commission

SGSSI fisheries are managed within the CCAMLR framework.