CCAMLR Ecosystem Monitoring Program (CEMP) at Laurie Island (LAO) for Adelie (PYD) and chinstrap penguins (PYN)

Laurie Island (Subarea 48.2) is located in the South Orkney Islands where the Argentine station Orcadas Base was established in 1904 and remains the longest-operating base in Antarctica.

Monitoring of **chinstrap penguins** has involved data collection on chick diet.

**Adelie penguins** have been monitored for the following parameters:

Adult weight on arrival

Breeding population size

Breeding success

Chick weight after fledging

Chick diet

**Purpose of CEMP:** In order to provide information of the effects of fishing on dependent species, CCAMLR set up the CCAMLR Ecosystem Monitoring Program (CEMP) in 1989. The two aims of CEMP are to:

1) Detect and record significant changes in critical components of the marine ecosystem within the Convention Area, to serve as a basis for the conservation of Antarctic marine living resources.

2) Distinguish between changes due to harvesting of commercial species and changes due to environmental variability, both physical and biological.