ated five
to six times more Patagonian toothfish than the regulated fishery,
which is likely to affect the sustainability of the stock; large
amount of incidental mortality of seabirds resulting from long-line
fishing for toothfish

note: the now-protected fur seal population is making a strong
comeback after severe overexploitation in the 18th and 19th centuries

Environment - international agreements: the Southern Ocean is
subject to all international agreements regarding the world's
oceans; in addition, it is subject to these agreements specific to
the Antarctic region: International Whaling Commission (prohibits
commercial whaling south of 40 degrees south [south of 60 degrees
south between 50 degrees and 130 degrees west]); Convention on the
Conservation of Antarctic Seals (limits sealing); Convention on the
Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (regulates fishing)

note: many nations (including the US) prohibit mineral resource
exploration and exploitation south of the fluctuating Polar Front
(Antarctic Convergence) which is in the middle of the Antarctic
Circumpolar Current and serves as the dividing line between the very
cold polar surface waters to the south and the warmer waters to the
north

Geography - note: the major chokepoint is the Drake Passage between
South America and Antarctica; the Polar Front (Antarctic
Convergence) is the best natural definition of the northern extent
of the Southern Ocean; it is a distinct region at the middle of the
Antarctic Circumpolar Current that separates the very cold polar
surface waters to the south from the warmer waters to the north; the
Front and the Current extend entirely around Antarctica, reaching
south of 60 degrees south near New Zealand and near 48 degrees south
in the far South Atlantic coinciding with the path of the maximum
westerly winds

Southern Ocean Economy

Economy - overview: Fisheries in 1998-99 (1 July to 30 June) landed
119,898 metric tons, of which 85% was krill and 14% Patagonian
toothfish. International agreements were adopted in late 1999 to
reduce illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, which in the
1998-99 season landed five to six times more Patagonian toothfish
than the regulated fishery. In the 1999-2000 antarctic summer 13,193
tourists, most of them seaborne, visited the Southern Ocean and
Antarctica, compared to 10,013 the previous year. Nearly 16,000
tourists are expected during the 2000-01 season.