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• Thefirstconfirmedsightingofthecontinentwasin1820.

• ExplorersfirstreachedtheSouthPolein1911.

• Antarcticaisthecoldestcontinent;temperaturesinthewintercan dropbelow-73°C(-100°F).

• ThelowesttemperatureeverrecordedonEarthwasatRussia’sVostok StationinAntarctica:-89.2°C(-128.6°F)on21stJuly,1983.

• Antarcticaisalsothedriestcontinent;itisalmostentirelydesert. Verylittlesnoworrainfallsonthecontinent,butbecauseitisso cold,thesmallamountofsnowthatdoesfalldoesnotmelt.Over alongtimethislittleamountofsnow(justafewcentimetresperyear) hasslowlygrownintoahugeicecap.

• Theicecanbemorethan4kmthickinsomeplaces.Thisiceflows offthecontinentandcreatesfloatingiceshelvesovertheocean;these shelvesbreakupandcreateicebergs.

• About70%ofEarth’sfreshwaterisintheAntarcticicecap.

• TherearenocountriesinAntarctica;thecontinentisgovernedbyan internationaltreaty(theAntarcticTreaty).

• Therearenopermanentresidents,butupto1,000peoplemaybe winteringoveratvariousresearchstations.

ANTARCTICAFASTFACTS

wow“If Antarctica’s ice sheets melted, the world’s oceans would rise by 60 – 65 metres!”

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FOREWORDDuring my career as a documentary cameraman I have filmed on every continent on Earth, from the Serengeti to Siberia, the slopes of Everest to the underwater canyons of Kaikoura, and the Ross Sea is without doubt one of the most amazing places I have been to. It has the most productive waters in the entire Southern Ocean and teems with life, with many species found nowhere else on the planet.

What makes this remote corner of our world special is that it is the most untouched and intact marine ecosystem left on Earth. It is one of the last places where you can see the top predators, including large fish, whales, seals and penguins in natural numbers. Scientists refer to the Ross Sea as a living laboratory, a place that can teach us about the workings of all marine ecosystems.

The fishing industry has recently found its way to the Ross Sea. In 1996 New Zealand initiated an Antarctic toothfish fishery which now plans to reduce the adult population of toothfish by 50% over 35 years. We know from experience in every other ocean on Earth, that when you remove a top predator from an ecosystem it will have wide reaching impacts. Remove the toothfish and the natural balance of the Ross Sea ecosystem will be lost forever. This raises the simple ethical question: do we fish the last ocean or do we protect it?

With rapid environmental change taking place across the globe, it’s vital that we inform our young people about what is happening in the world and engage them to think critically about issues and how they are reported.

The Last Ocean documentary was completed in July 2012. Used alongside this education resource, we hope to provide a tool for teachers and students that not only celebrates the remarkable animals of the Ross Sea ecosystem, but also explores the business, politics and values that affect this precious and important part of the world.

Peter YoungDirector, The Last Ocean documentaryCo-Founder, The Last Ocean Charitable TrustNovember15,2012

The Last Ocean Charitable Trust was established in Christchurch in August 2009, to raise awareness about the pristine qualities of the Ross Sea Antarctica and promotes the establishment of a Ross Sea marine protected area.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ThisresourcehasbeencoordinatedbyTracyRoefromtheLastOceanCharitableTrustandTanyaJenkinsoftheEnvironmentalEducationConsultancy,assistedbySueCharmley(SeniorTeacher)andBillSimpson(WriterandResearcher).AlNisbetprovidedtheworksheetgraphics.MikeYuleprovidedthetoothfishcartoons.

Inaddition,specialthanksaregiventothefollowingeducatorswhohaveassistedbyeithertriallingtheresourceorgivingadvice:JocelynPapprill,HeatherGibbs,JamieL’Huillier,ChristineMurphy,NickyGilkison.ThanksalsototheLastOceanEducationWorkingGroup:KateBeer,KateSideyandTracyRoe;CassandraBrooksforresearch;JudeSutherlandfordesignandlayout;andElizabethKoroivulaonoforwebsitecoordination.

TheresourceisbasedoninformationcontainedintheLastOceanCharitableTrustwebsite,researchedandwrittenbyCassandraBrooksandPeterYoungwithinputfromDr.DavidAinleyandJohnWeller.DocumentaryfootageonthewebsitehasbeenprovidedbyPeterYoung.Photographicimagesandgraphics(unlessotherwisecredited)havebeenprovidedbyJohnWeller.

TheLastOceanfeaturefilmwasproducedanddirectedbyPeterYoung.FullcreditsforthefilmareontheDVD.

FinallyabigthankyoutooursponsorsforsupportingthisprojecteitherthroughtheTrustorthefilm.

AntarcticOceanAlliance-http://antarcticocean.org/home.phpAntarcticandSouthernOceanCoalition(ASOC)-http://www.asoc.org/Biotherm-http://www.biotherm.com/Eco-SysAction-http://www.ecosysaction.org/FisheyeFilms-http://www.fisheyefilms.co.nzGlobalOcean-http://www.globalocean.org.uk/InternationalFundforAnimalWelfare-http://www.ifaw.org/united-states/LoganBrownRestaurant&Bar-http://www.loganbrown.co.nz/NZonAir-http://www.nzonair.govt.nz/home.aspxNewZealandFilmCommission-http://www.nzfilm.co.nz/ParkRoadPostProduction-http://www.parkroadpost.co.nz/Voila!WhaleandDolphinConservation-http://www.wdcs.org/WinWebBusinessCloud-http://www.winweb.com/

©2012RossSeaDocumentaryLimited-Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproducedwithoutpermissioninwritingfromtheauthors,otherthanclassroomusebyteachers.

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CONTENTS

INTRODUCTIONAntarctica-fastfacts 02Foreword 03Acknowledgements 04Howtousethisresource 06UsingtheDVD 07Wheretobegin 08AntarcticToothfish-fastfacts 09CurriculumConnections 10GreatLinks-usefulwebsitesforteachersandforstudents 11KeytermsrelatedtoAntarctica 12

1 OCEANS OF THE WORLD 15

Template-MapoftheWorld 17LiteracyLesson-TheRossSea 18LiteracyWorksheet-TheRossSea 20StudentWorksheet-CausesandEffects 21

2 SETTING THE SCENE –

ROSS SEA GEOGRAPHY 23StudentWorksheet–VennDiagram–ArcticandAntarctica 25StudentWorksheet–Antarcticaoutlinemap 26LiteracyLesson-TheRossSeaIceShelf–Whatisit? 27

3 GOING TO EXTREMES –

ROSS SEA CLIMATE 29LiteracyLesson–RossSeaClimate 31LiteracyWorksheet–RossSeaClimate 33

4 MEETING THE LOCALS –

ROSS SEA WILDLIFE 35WildlifeStudyGuide 36

5 MAKING LINKS –

ROSS SEA ECOSYSTEM 37 Templates(2pages)–WebofLife“necklacecards” 39LiteracyLesson–RossSeaEcosystem 41LiteracyWorksheet–RossSeaEcosystem 43

6 FISHING AT THE LIMITS –

FISHING IN THE ROSS SEA 45LiteracyLesson–TheToothfish 47LiteracyWorksheet-TheToothfish 49LiteracyLesson–FishingintheRossSea 50

7 MARINE PROTECTION AND THE

FUTURE OF THE ROSS SEA 53StudentWorksheet–TheVoiceoftheToothfish 55StudentWorksheet–WhyistheRossSeaworthprotecting? 56

IndextoExtraActivities 57IndextoCameos 71

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TheresourceisdesignedtobeusedinYears7–10andhasbeendevelopedintheSocialScience/Inquiry,ScienceandEnglishareasofthecurriculum.ItisbasedprimarilyontheLastOceanCharitableTrustwebsite:

www.lastocean.org

Thetopichasendlesstangents,whichstudentsmayexplorewiththeInquirymethod,andwouldsitnicelywithinanInquiryunit,eitherontheRossSea,Antarctica,orbroaderconservationsissues.Includedareexamplesupportingquestionstoaidinthisresearch.Additionalactivities,factsheetsandcameostosupportexercisesandfurtherresearchcanbefoundattheendofthisbooklet.

TheresourceisaccompaniedbyaDVDofthe88-minutedocumentaryfilmTheLastOcean,whichcanbeviewedinsectionsorasawhole.TheDVDcomeswithashortfilmtrailerandaslideshowofphotographicimagesofRossSeawildlife.Bothprovideusefulintroductionstothestudytopic.

TheresourcecontainsseventeachingandlearningareasbasedontheLastOceanwebsite:

1 OCEANS AND THE ROSS SEA2 GEOGRAPHY3 CLIMATE4 WILDLIFE5 ECOSYSTEM6 FISHING7 PROTECTION

Theresourcehaselementsofresearchthroughoutwhichfocusonthekeyquestion:

“Why is the Ross Sea called the Last Ocean?”

Studentsareguidedtoreflectonthatquestionattheendoftheirstudies,andreachtheirownconclusions.

• Thestudentswillneedaworkbook,logbook oraclearfiletokeeparecordoftheirresponses, questions,findings,etc.astheyworkthroughthe areas.Internetaccessisdesirableformanyofthe learningactivities.

• Accesstoadataprojectororinteractivewhiteboard wouldbeveryusefulthroughoutthisunit.

• AccesstoDVDplayerandscreenisdesirable forviewingchaptersfromtheLastOceanDVD. Alternativelyshortvideosmaybeviewed onlinefromYouTubelinkswithintheresource, eitherindividuallyorintheclassroom.

• Theresourceincludesalargenumberofactivities, whichmayberesearchedbyindividuals,groupsor theentireclass.

• Aftergainingknowledgeandanunderstandingof thenearpristinenatureoftheRossSea,students arechallengedtobecomeinvolvedinprotecting thisarea.Bydoingsotheyrealisewhatsocial responsibilityisanditsimportancetolocal, nationalandglobalissues.

• Includedintheresourceareliteracylessons targeting5readingcomprehensionstrategies: 1.Summarising 2.Visualising 3.Makingconnectionstopriorknowledge 4.Questioning 5.Identifyingthemainidea

• Thetextsfortheliteracylessonsarebasedon theLastOceanwebsiteandsomeofthe specialisedvocabularyiscomplex.Teachersmay wanttomakeuseofthetrafficlightmethod,where thestudentsskimandscanthetext,priorto readingandhighlightwithcolourkeyvocabulary theyhavefound: Green=wordsIknowthemeaningof Orange=wordsIthinkIknowthemeaningof Red=wordsIdonotknowthemeaningof

Thereader’spriorknowledgeisvitalfor comprehension;thereforeitwouldbehelpfulforthestudentstohaveabasicknowledgeofAntarcticaingeneralandtheRossSeainparticular.Thepre-readingdiscussionisacrucialpartofthelesson.

InterestedstudentsmayalsobedirectedtotheLastOceanonFacebookandLastOceanBlogtokeepupwithlatestnewsabouttheLastOceancampaign.

HOWTOUSETHISRESOURCE

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USINGTHEDVDTheLastOceanfeaturedocumentaryhasadurationof88minutes.ForyourconveniencetheDVDisdividedinto16chaptersfacilitatingnavigation:

CHAPTER1 BeginningsCHAPTER2 Great White SouthCHAPTER3 Signing of the Antarctic TreatyCHAPTER4 CCAMLR (Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources)

CHAPTER5 The Remarkable ToothfishCHAPTER6 State of the World’s OceansCHAPTER7 Ross Sea WildlifeCHAPTER8 David Ainley: The Scientist CHAPTER9 A campaign is bornCHAPTER10 Fish marketsCHAPTER11 Jim Barnes (ASOC) joins the campaign CHAPTER12 Call for a Ross Sea MPACHAPTER13 Fishing in the Ross SeaCHAPTER14 Campaign goes globalCHAPTER15 People PowerCHAPTER16 Beautiful Ross Sea

ForclassroomswithoutaDVDplayer,orforhomeworkassignments,wehaveprovidedalternativelinkstosimilarshortvideosonTheLastOceanEducationYouTubeChannel.ThereareclearinstructionswithintheresourceonhowtofindeachvideowhichislabelledwithanumberandnamethatcorrespondstotheYouTubechannel.

AlsoprovidedontheDVD

• TheLastOceanOfficialTrailer[duration2’44”]

• AslideshowofJohnWeller’sstillphotographic imagesofwildlifeandsceneryfromtheRossSea [duration2’48”]

• RossSeaWildlife–ashortvideoofthewildlifeof theRossSea[nonarration,duration5minutes]

Allareexcellentintroductionstothestudy.

wow“Over a million people have signed the petition to protect my home.”

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Belowareanumberof‘starter’optionstocapturetheinterestofstudents.

• IntroducetheconceptofAntarcticaandits inhabitantsbywatchingthefirst15minutes oftheanimatedfilm“HappyFeet.”

or

• WatchtheTrailerofthedocumentary“The LastOcean”onthesuppliedDVDorview thevideoonYouTube–1.LastOceanOfficial Trailer

or

• VisitGoogleEarth,identifyNewZealandand thentrackdowntotheRossSeaandopen thestory“OurRossSea”.

Youcanalsousewowstatementstohookthestudent’sinterest.Youcanplacethesestatementsonthewallorsimplydiscusswithstudentsoraskastudenteachdaytodrawaquestionfromahatandreaditout.

wow TheRossSeainAntarcticaisthemostintactmarineecosystemonEarth!

wow Ithasnotrainedinthedryvalleysforatleast2millionyears!

wow Antarcticaistheonlycontinentwithnonativehumanpopulation,nolanguageandnocurrency!

wow Antarcticaisthecoldest,driest,highest,windiest,iciestcontinentonearth!

wow IfAntarctica’sicesheetsmelted,theworld’soceanswouldriseby60–65metres!

wow AlltimezonesconvergeinAntarctica.SowhatisthetimeinAntarctica?

wow Duringthefeedingseason,afullgrownAntarcticbluewhalecaneatenoughinonedaytofeedahumanfor4years!

TellthestudentsthattheytoocanfindtheirownwowstatementsduringtheirstudyandcanwritethemonthelargemaporAntarcticnoticeboardintheclassroom.

Displaythefollowingquestionsprominentlyintheclassroomforthedurationofthestudy.

Where is the Ross Sea?

How much do you know about the Ross Sea?

What is special about the Ross Sea?

Why is the Ross Sea called The Last Ocean?

How can I help to protect the Ross Sea?

AlargeblankoutlinemapofAntarcticaisausefulresourcetobeginwith.Afterdiscussionsandresearchchildrencouldaddplacenamesandsnippetsofinformationontothemapeitherwithfeltpenorstick-itnotes.

Atemplatemapisincludedinthisresource.

Alargecharttorecordinteresting/new/specificvocabularycouldalsobeuseful.

THE ANTARCTIC TOOTHFISH

ThroughoutthisresourceyouwillnoticethecartooncharacteroftheAntarctictoothfish.ThisfishisanimportantlinkintheecologyoftheRossSeaanditisessentialthatstudentsbecomeawareofthesignificanceofthetoothfish.

Tohelpyou,thetoothfishcharacterwillvoicethewowstatementsthatyoucanusetokeepinspiringandmotivatingyourstudents.

WHERETOBEGIN

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• AntarcticToothfishareknowntoliveupto48years.Theycanreachalmost 2metresinlengthandcanweighinexcessof80kilograms.

• AntarcticToothfishliveintheice-ladenwatersoftheSouthernOcean surroundingAntarctica.Theyfeedonicefish,violetfish,squidand silverfish.JuvenilesmaybepreyoftheWeddellseal,theleopardseal, largesquidandorca.

• IntheUnitedStatesthisfishisknownasChileanSeabassandsellsfor asmuchasUS$70perkilogram(source;NewZealandSeafoodIndustry Council,2011).

• TheAntarcticToothfishproduceslargeamountsofantifreezeglycoprotein, whichallowsittosurvivethesub-zerowatersoftheAntarctic.

• TheheartoftheAntarcticToothfishcanbeataslittleasonceeveryten seconds.

• Thesefishalsohaveamazingretinaintheireyes;theseretinaarefully adaptedtolowlightlevelssothatevenwhenthesurfaceoftheseais coveredbyiceandsnowthespecializedeyescanstillseeintogreat depths.

• Thetoothfishhasbeencaughtatdepthsinexcessof2000metres.

ANTARCTICTOOTHFISHFASTFACTSSCIENTIFICNAME-DISSOSTICHUSMAWSONI

wow“Can you believe I’m worth US$70 a kilogram?”

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SCIENCE

NATURE OF SCIENCE

LEVEL3

• Appreciatethatscienceisawayof explainingtheworldandthatscience knowledgechangesovertime.

• Usetheirgrowingscienceknowledgewhen consideringissuesofconcerntothem.

• Explorevariousaspectsofanissueand makedecisionsaboutpossibleactions.

LEVEL4

• Developanunderstandingofsocio- scientificissuesbygatheringrelevant scientificinformationinordertodraw evidence-basedconclusionsandtotake actionwhereappropriate.

ECOLOGY

LEVEL3AND4

• Explainhowlivingthingsaresuitedto theirparticularhabitatandhowtheyrespond toenvironmentalchanges,bothnaturaland human-induced.

SOCIAL SCIENCES

LEVEL3

• Understandhowpeopleviewanduseplaces differently.

• Understandhowpeoplemakedecisions aboutaccesstoanduseofresources.

LEVEL4

• Understandhowexplorationandinnovation createopportunitiesandchallengesfor peopleplacesandenvironments.

• Understandthateventshavecausesand effects.

ENGLISH

LISTENING, READING AND VIEWING SPEAKING, WRITING AND PRESENTING

LEVEL3

• Integratesourcesofinformation,processes andstrategieswithdevelopingconfidenceto identify,formandexpressideas.

CURRICULUMCONNECTIONS

VALUESByusingtheLastOceanwebsiteanditsassociatededucationalresources,studentswillbeencouragedtovalue:

• Excellence,byaiminghighandperseveringin thefaceofdifficulties.

• Innovation,inquiryandcuriosity,bythinking critically,creativelyandreflectively.

• Communityandparticipationforthecommon good.

• Ecologicalsustainability,whichincludescare fortheenvironment.

• Respectforthemselves,othersandhuman rights.

KEYCOMPETENCIESDrawingonknowledge,attitudesandvaluesinwaysthatleadtoaction.Studentswillutilisethefollowingkeycompetenciesinavarietyofactivities.

• Thinkingcriticallyandcreatively.

• Usinglanguage,symbolsandtexts.

• Managingself.

• Relatingtoothers.

• Participatingandcontributing.

ACHIEVEMENTOBJECTIVESStudentswillgainknowledge,skillsandexperienceto:

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Incompilingthiseducationresource,theauthorsconsultedmanywebsites.ForyourbenefittheyhavelistedsomeofthemoreusefulsitestoassistyourstudiesoftheRossSeaandAntarctica.

WEBSITESFORTEACHERShttp://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/Science-Stories/Research-Voyage-to-Antarctica-ThestoryofavoyageoftheNZresearchshipTangaroatoAntarctica.ExcellentNZsitewithinformationincludinglifeonboardtheTangaroa,wildlifeandmakingafoodweb.

http://www.coolantarctica.com/schools/antarctica_school.htm-ThissiteisaverycomprehensivesourceofinformationonallaspectsofAntarcticaandincludesphotos,lessonplans,quizzesandlotsmore.ThesitewasdevelopedbyaUKscientistandteacher.

http://www.classroom.antarctica.gov.au-ThisisacomprehensiveonlineteachingresourceproducedbytheAustralianAntarcticDivision.Itisparticularlyaimedatgrades5to8.Ithasalargeon-linelibraryofteacherresourcesandideasforactivities.

http://www.anta.canterbury.ac.nz/documents/GCAS%20electronic%20projects/GCAS%2010%20projects/Rebecca%20Logan.pdf-ThisisaNZresourceforteachers,ithascurriculumlinkages,websitelinksetc.ItalsohasalistofteacherswhohavebeentoAntarctica.

http://www.topmarks.co.uk/Search.aspx?q=antarctica-ThissiteisaUKeducationsearchengine,itlistsandgradesteachingresourcesandthengivesyoulinkstotheirchoices.

http://www.discoveringantarctica.org.uk/-ThisisaBritishsitewithgoodaccesstovideos,photosandmanyinteractiveresources.

http://www.scar.org/about/capacitybuilding/antarcticeducation/-TheeducationwebsitefortheinternationalScientificCommitteeonAntarcticResearch,ithaslinkstoawiderangeofeducationactivitiesonotherwebsiteswhichcouldbeusedbybothteachersandstudents.

WEBSITESFORSTUDENTShttp://library.thinkquest.org/CR0215022/explorers.htm-ThisisanAntarcticsitedevelopedbysixUSAchildrenonOracle’sThinkQuestprogramme.Thelanguageiseasyandthereareawidevarietyoftopicscovered–explorers,climate,wildlife,glaciers,timelines,ozone,etc.

http://www.aussieeducator.org.au/curriculum/socialscience/antarctic.html-ThisisanAustraliansiteontheAntarcticandcontainsaone-pagelistoflinks.Itisforstudentsandteachers.

http://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/search?top_search=true&SearchText=antarctic&x=10&y=11-ThisNZsitegivesaccesstoaseriesofshortvideos,activitiesetc.abouttheAntarctic–topicsincludeicefish,dressingfortheice,usingafieldtoilet,thebenthiczoneetc.

http://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/Science-Stories/Research-Voyage-to-Antarctica-ThestoryofavoyageoftheNZresearchshipTangaroatotheAntarctica.

http://icestories.exploratorium.edu/dispatches/-DispatchesfromPolarScientists.

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/27068/Antarctica/24727/The-heroic-era-of-exploration-Theheroiceraofexploration–ScottandShackletonbothhavestrongtieswiththeRossSea.

http://www.penguinscience.com/classroom_home.php-ThePenguinScienceEducationPagecontainsfunandeducationalactivitiestohelpstudentslearnaboutAdeliepenguinlife,historyandtheirrelationshiptoclimatechange.ThereisalsoalinktoalivePenguinCamatCapeRoydsadeliepenguincolony:http://thistle.org/pcam/

http://www.ecosysaction.org/boopy/-Ecosys-ActionforKidz:funactivities,onlinestoriesandcartoonsaboutecosystemmanagementaroundtheworldledbyBoopyandtheactionteam.

GREATLINKS

Clickonthewebsitelinksorcopyandpasteintoyourwebbrowser.

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CloselyrelatedtothePatagoniantoothfish,Dissostichuseleginoides.Botharereferredtoas“Chileanseabass”inthemarket.IntheRossSea,theAntarcticToothfishfisherywasinitiatedbyNewZealandin1996.Sincethennumerousnationshavejoinedthefishery,whichhasanannualTotalAllowableCatchofaround3,000tonnes.FromthebeginningNewZealandhascaughtalmosthalfofthetotalcatch.

TheAntarcticTreatywassignedinWashingtonon1December1959bythetwelvecountrieswhosescientistshadbeenactiveinandaroundAntarcticaduringtheInternationalGeophysicalYear(IGY)of1957-58.Itenteredintoforcein1961andhassincebeenaccededtobymanyothernations.ThetotalnumberofPartiestotheTreatyisnow48.

SomeimportantprovisionsoftheTreaty:

• Antarcticashallbeusedforpeacefulpurposesonly(Art.I)

• FreedomofscientificinvestigationinAntarcticaandcooperationtowardthatend… shallcontinue(Art.II).

• ScientificobservationsandresultsfromAntarcticashallbeexchangedandmadefreely available(Art.III).

(Source;http://www.ats.aq/e/ats.htm-websiteoftheAntarcticTreatySecretariat)

Establishedin2010,theAntarcticOceanAlliance(AOA)isacoalitionofleadingenvironmentalandconservationorganisationsworkingtoestablishanetworkofdesignated,no-takemarinereservesandmarineprotectedareasintheAntarctic.Withsuchanetworkinplace,keyAntarcticoceanhabitatsandwildlifewouldbeprotectedfromhumaninterference.

(Source;http://antarcticocean.org/-websiteoftheAntarcticOceanAlliance)

TheAntarcticandSouthernOceanCoalition(ASOC)isaglobalcoalitionofover30non-governmentalorganisations(NGOs)interestedinAntarcticenvironmentalprotection.ASOChasaseatattheCCAMLRtableandhasworkedsince1978toensurethattheAntarcticContinent,itssurroundingislandsandoceanssurviveastheworld’slastunspoiledwilderness,aglobalcommonsfortheheritageoffuturegenerations.

(Source;http://www.asoc.org-websiteoftheAntarcticandSouthernOceanCoalition)

TheCommissionfortheConservationofAntarcticMarineLivingResources(CCAMLR)istheinternationalbodychargedwithmanagingthelivingmarineresourcesaroundAntarctica.Itwasestablishedbyinternationalconventionin1982withtheobjectiveofconservingAntarcticmarinelife.IthasmadeacommitmenttodesignateanetworkofMPAsaroundAntarctica.TheRossSeahasbeenidentifiedasoneoftheseareas.

TheCCAMLRcommission,whichisanextensionoftheAntarcticTreatySystem,has25membernationsandconvenesfordiscussionsonceayear(usuallyinOct/Nov).Thecommissionoperatesonconsensuswitheachmembernationgettingonevote.

(Source;http://www.ccamlr.org/en/organisation/about-ccamlr-websiteofCCAMLR)

Acontinentalshelfisthesubmergededgeofacontinent.TheAntarcticContinentalShelfisrelativelynarrow(60-240kmwide)anddeep:itrangesveryshallowareasoflessthan50mnearthecoasttoareasdeeperthan800mandhasanaveragedepthof500m.BeyondtheshelftheAntarcticcontinentalslopedescendstoover3000mandlevelsoutontheabyssalplainsatdepthsof3700-5000m(5km).

(Source;websitehttp://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/wildlife/animals/seabed-benthic-communities)

Anecosystemisagroupofplantsandanimalsandtheenvironmentinwhichtheylive.Italsoincludesthemanyrelationshipsconnectingtheseorganisms,allowingthemtosurviveintheirenvironment.

Somerelationshipsaresimple,likethosebetweenapredatorandpreyortwospeciesthatcompeteforthesamefood.Othersaremorecomplex,likealinkbetweenapredatoranditsprey’sprey.Alltheseorganismsareinterconnectedbyagrandplayofchecksandbalances-essentiallytheecosystemfunctionsasasingleorganism.

Damagetoonepartofanecosystem(likeremovingatoppredatorbycommercialfishing)willbefelt

KEYTERMSRELATEDTOTHEANTARCTIC

ANTARCTICTOOTHFISHDissostichusmawsoni

AOA(AntarcticOceanAlliance)

ASOC(AntarcticandSouthernOceanCoalition)

CCAMLR(CommissionfortheConservationofAntarcticMarineLivingResources)

CONTINENTALSHELF

ECOSYSTEM

ANTARCTICTREATY

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inamultipleofways,inevitablychangingtheoverallnaturalbalance.Oftentheseeffectsaredifficulttoanticipateorunderstand.

(Source;websitehttp://www.lastocean.org/Ross-Sea/The-Ecosystem-/Ross-Sea-Antarctic-trophic-level-toothfish-predator-prey-__I.3487)

Oceans,seas,andwatersoutsideofnationaljurisdictionarereferredtoasthe“highseas”or,inLatin,mareliberum(meaningfreeseas).Shipssailingthehighseasaregenerallyunderthejurisdictionoftheflagstate(ifthereisone)however,whenashipisinvolvedincertaincriminalacts,suchaspiracy,anynationcanexercisejurisdictionunderthedoctrineofuniversalprotection.

AConventionontheHighSeaswassignedin1958.

(Source;http://untreaty.un.org/ilc/texts/instruments/english/conventions/8_1_1958_high_seas.pdf)

Aniceshelfisathickfloatingplatformoficethatformswhereaglacieroricesheetflowsdowntoacoastlineandontotheoceansurface.Usuallytheedgeoftheshelfisahighicewall.Theiceisfromseveralsources:theflowfrominlandplacestothecoast,snowthathasfallenontheuppersurfaceandseawaterthathasfrozentothelowersurfaces.IceshelvesarefoundonlyinAntarctica,GreenlandandCanada.TheRossIceShelfisthelargestintheworld.

MarineProtectedAreas(MPAs) Marineprotectedareas(MPAs)aretheoceanequivalentofnationalparks.Theylimithumanimpacttoprotectthebiodiversityandthenaturalandculturalvaluesofanarea.

(Source;http://www.lastocean.org/Marine-Protection/Protection-Ross-Sea-Antarctica-__I.1898)

Thesearetinyorganisms,mostlysinglecelledplants,thatlivenearthesurfaceofwater.Theydriftwithoceancurrents.Theyarethebaseofthemarinefoodwebsupportingalltheanimalsabove–theyareeatenbyawiderangeofotherspecies,suchassmallanimal-likezooplankton.

(Source;http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Phytoplankton/)

Polynyasarelargeareasofopenwaterthathaveformedamongthepackice.Theytendtobeveryproductiveareas,fullofphytoplankton,krill,fish,whalesandseals.EmperorPenguincoloniestendtobelocatednearrecurringpolynyas.

Apredatorisananimalthateatsanotheranimal,referredtoasitsprey.IntheRossSeafoodchain,theAntarcticToothfishfeedsonsmallerfishsuchassquidandsilverfish.InturntheToothfishcanbeeatenbyKillerWhales(Orca),Weddellseals,andpossiblybylargesquid.

EstablishedinChristchurch,NewZealandinAugust2009,theLastOceanCharitableTrustaimstoraiseawarenessaboutthepristinequalitiesoftheRossSeaandpromotestheestablishmentofaRossSeamarineprotectedarea.

(Source;http://www.lastocean.org/About-Us/Last-Ocean-Ross-Sea-__I.330)

InNewZealandTotalAllowableCatch(TAC)referstothetotalquantityofeachfishstockthatcanbetakenbycommercial,customaryMaoriinterests,recreationalfisheryinterestsandothersourcesoffishing-relatedmortality,toensuresustainabilityofthatfisheryinagivenperiod,usuallyayear.

(Source;websitehttp://fs.fish.govt.nz/Page.aspx?pk=78&dk=1842)

AWorldHeritageSiteisaplaceofspecialsignificancefortheinternationalcommunity.Itmaybeimportantbecauseofitsphysicalorculturalvalues.By2010thereweremorethan900siteslisted.ThelistiskeptbyUNESCO(UnitedNationsEducation,ScientificandCulturalOrganisation).ThePyramidsofEgypt,forexample,areaWorldHeritageSitebecauseoftheirculturalvalue.ThenationalparksofSouthwestNewZealand(includingFiordland,Aoraki/MtCook,MtAspiringandtheWestCoastglaciers)areWorldHeritageSitesbecauseoftheirphysicalimportance.Becauseofitsrichbiodiversity,theRossSeahasbeensuggestedforWorldHeritageSitelisting.SimilarwaterbodiesincludedasWorldHeritagesitesaretheAfricanRiftlakes,theGalapagosIslandsandtheLakeBaikalinRussia.

(Source;websitehttp://whc.unesco.org/)

ECOSYSTEMcontinued

MARINEPROTECTEDAREAS(MPAs)

TOTALALLOWABLECATCH(TAC)

WORLDHERITAGESITES

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