SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE

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All Members of the Commission are also Members of the Scientific Committee (SC-CAMLR) (Article XIV).

The Scientific Committee conducts its activities as directed by the Commission in pursuance of the Convention’s objectives (Article XV, especially Article XV.2).

It provides a forum for consultation and cooperation on the collection, study and exchange of information necessary for the Commission to exercise its functions.

In turn, the Commission must take full account of the recommendations and advice of the Scientific Committee (Article IX.4) in the development of measures to implement the principles of conservation embodied in the Convention.

The Scientific Committee advises the Commission on harvesting levels and other management measures developed through consultation and the application of advanced scientific techniques.

Where insufficient data are available to assess sustainable harvesting levels or other conservation measures, a ‘precautionary approach’ has been developed to take account of the potential risks associated with incomplete knowledge about the dynamics of a particular resource.

To facilitate its operation, the Scientific Committee has established two working groups to assist it in formulating scientific advice on key areas of its responsibility.

 Currently the two groups serving this function are the Working Group on Ecosystem Monitoring and Management (WG-EMM) and the Working Group on Fish Stock Assessment (WG-FSA).

These two working groups meet annually and report their findings directly to the Scientific Committee.