Enhanced measures to significantly scale up areas of protected marine space across some 500,000-square kilometres of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands have come into force this week, marking a major milestone in the territory’s commitment to sustainability.

New legislation making the commitment official was signed earlier this week by Her Excellency the Commissioner, Alison Blake CMG, bringing into force new protections that close off 470,000-square kilometres to all fishing activity within the region.

In addition to this, a further 31,000-square kilometres of pelagic closed areas mean that krill fishing is now prohibited across more than half a million square kilometres within the Marine Protected Area (MPA).

“These enhancements build on South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands’ robust marine protection framework, where tourism and sustainable fisheries are strictly regulated,” read a statement issued by the Government of South Georgia. 

Existing measures include seasonal closures that limit krill and toothfish fishing to winter months to reduce potential interactions with breeding seals and seabirds, as well as a ban on bottom trawl fishing across the entire 1.24 million-square kilometre MPA. During the five months when highly regulated, licensed fishing is permitted, 40% of the MPA will not be closed to krill fishing.

Additionally, 95% of the MPA will be closed to longline fishing, with prohibitions applying within the general benthic closed area – spanning all depths shallower than 700 metres and greater than 2,250 metres – as well as within a network of research benthic closed areas at fishable depths, designed to safeguard vulnerable habitats and species.

“The greatly expanded and interconnected network of No Take Zones not only protects the most biodiverse and potentially vulnerable marine habitats but also includes regions identified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as Important Marine Mammal Areas. 

Described as the ‘jewel of the southern ocean’, the seas surrounding the remote archipelago of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are internationally recognised as a biodiversity hotspot. Twice the size of France, the maritime zone is home to globally significant populations of seals, whales, penguins, and millions of flying seabirds.

The abundance of wildlife is drawn to the archipelago’s beaches to breed as well as to feed on the huge quantities of Antarctic krill – a highly abundant small crustacean that aggregates in the surrounding sub-Antarctic waters.

The MPA now covers some 1.24 million-square kilometres of ocean, encompassing an array of habitats and ecosystems including hydrothermal vents and sea ice zones. Around 38% of the MPA is now completely closed off to all fishing activity while highly regulated, sustainable longline fisheries for toothfish are restricted to a narrow depth band limiting their operation to less than 5% of the MPA.

The revenue generated largely from the scale of fishing licences for the highly regulated toothfish and krill fisheries at South Georgia is used to fund the year-round presence of the Government’s patrol vessel Pharos SG which has contributed to a ‘massive reduction in the threat of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and the terrible impact such activities can have both on target and bycatch species as well as the wider ecosystem.

“Together, the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands MPA and the Territory’s world-leading, ecosystem based approach to sustainable fisheries management make a significant contribution to global sustainability goals and the UK Government’s commitment to long-term marine conservation,” read a statement from the Government of South Georgia.

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