Ushuaia, the world's southern most city and gateway to Antarctica cruises expects this 2014/2015 season an estimated forty vessels and 295 calls, according to Tierra del Fuego province port authorities. As usual the first vessel to arrive was Chilean flagged Stella Australis with 210 passengers, at the end of September, which is also expected to close the season in April next year.
Australia will continue to push for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) off East Antarctica despite the proposal not being adopted at the annual Commission for the Conservation of the Antarctic Marine Living Resources, (CCAMLR) which last month met in Hobart, Tasmania.
The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) has again failed to agree to protect key areas in the Ross Sea and East Antarctica at its annual meeting in Hobart due to blocking by China and Russia. The partners of the Antarctic Ocean Alliance (AOA) said that this failure to reach consensus for the fourth time calls into question CCAMLR’s ability to deliver on its conservation commitments.
A photographic notebook from Robert Scott's ill-fated Antarctic expedition has been found after a century trapped in the ice of the frozen continent, New Zealand's Antarctic Heritage Trust said.
As representatives of the 25 Members of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) meet this week in Hobart, where they will decide the fate of two key protection proposals in the Ross Sea and East Antarctica, the Antarctic Ocean Alliance (AOA) (*) called on the member countries to honor their conservation commitments and finally agree to lasting and significant Southern Ocean protection.
The Royal Navy HMS Iron Duke on Atlantic Patrol Tasking south berthed this week in South Georgia for a few days where she also met with Ice Patrol HMS Protector which arrived at the islands on her deployment to Antarctica, after battling hurricane force winds and 24 meters waves.
The Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO) and the International Association for Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO), in cooperation with Lindblad Expeditions, have found a way for cruise operators to share years of depth soundings from the Arctic and Antarctica.
The South Georgia Patagonian toothfish fishery renewed its five-yearly Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification for the third consecutive time. The fishery, which was first MSC certified in 2004, received an average score of 96 out of 100 in the latest assessment, said the government of South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI).
Claudia Holgate, Environmental Manager for the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO), has decided to step down from the position, which has grown to become full time.
The number of cruise ship visits to South Georgia is set to increase by at least 10% in the forthcoming 2014/15 season, according to the July edition of the South Georgia Newsletter.