By decision of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, dr Anna Panasiuk from the Plankton Biology Laboratory of the Department of Marine Biology and Biotechnology at the University of Gdańsk has been appointed as Poland's representative to the Scientific Committee of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).
The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) was established under an international convention in 1982 to protect Antarctic marine life. Poland is one of the 27 members of the Commission (which, in addition to member states, also includes the European Union as a separate entity) and has been a member since its inception.
Based on existing scientific research, the CCAMLR Scientific Committee recommends numerous conservation measures that should be applied in the Antarctic, including the creation of marine protected areas. Based on existing scientific research, the CCAMLR Scientific Committee recommends numerous conservation measures that should be applied in the Antarctic, including the creation of marine protected areas. It also recommends catch quotas to be applied in the coming years, thus trying to reconcile commercial fishing activities with the simultaneous protection of the Antarctic environment.
‘In the Committee, I am the ‘Polish voice’ in these matters,’ explains dr Anna Panasiuk. ‘The CCAMLR Scientific Committee is not a very large group of international scientists, so it is above all a great honour for me, but I also feel a great responsibility. The Committee has a relatively stable group of scientists in terms of personnel. They are scientific representatives of the member states with a great deal of experience in Antarctic research and know the environment very well. The opportunity to work with them is a great honour for me and also opens up many new scientific possibilities through the exchange of knowledge and ideas. We spend about one month a year together on average at the meetings of the working group and the Scientific Committee, so we have the opportunity to discuss and also plan joint research activities in the Antarctic.’
Dr Anna Panasiuk's research focuses on Antarctic zooplankton, including the ecology of Antarctic krill and its predators, such as penguins and whales. Her team also investigates the pollutants present in krill and in the organisms of the aforementioned predators. Currently, a research project is being carried out in cooperation with a German partner on Antarctic petrels, analysing the main areas of their occurrence in the context of the abiotic and biotic characteristics of the environment. In cooperation with a Chilean partner, research is planned on the winter migration of Antarctic birds, which will help to better understand the primary origin of pollutants recorded in Antarctic predators and to assess the degree of overlap between feeding grounds and fishing areas.
‘These scientific activities have two main objectives: the protection of the Antarctic and the sustainable management of this environment - says dr A. Panasiuk. The results obtained will be presented during the meetings of the Working Group on Ecosystem Monitoring and Management (WG-EMM) or the CCAMLR Scientific Committee and thus may partly form the basis for the creation of new conservation measures or marine protected areas. My role in CCAMLR as an Antarctic ecologist, oceanographer and marine biologist is to provide advice and opinions based on the best scientific knowledge, as well as to share my own knowledge.’
When asked about the source of her fascination with the Antarctic region, dr Anna Panasiuk replied: ‘It's a kind of love at first sight that takes hold and never lets go. Antarctica is the last area not permanently inhabited by humans; it is home to many species whose adaptations to life in these difficult conditions continue to amaze us. I have been travelling to Antarctica for scientific purposes since 2007, and I can see the changes it is undergoing. On the one hand, this saddens me, but on the other hand, it motivates me to work even harder to perhaps contribute to more intensive protection of this environment. I will be a fully satisfied Antarctic oceanographer and marine biologist if even a small part of my scientific work and its results contribute to more effective protection of the Antarctic.’
