INTERNSHIP PROJECT 2017
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
The Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) at the University of Tasmania is pleased to announce the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) Internship Project for 2017 and to call for applications. This is a competitive process and an intern will be chosen on merit. Only one internship is available at the Commission. Please read the project outline below, and if you think you are qualified to undertake the work, submit your application to Dr Julia Jabour () by 23December 2016. Your application will comprise a CV and a covering letter.
Interviews will be conducted and an intern chosen in mid-January 2017. The successful applicant will enrol in the unit, KSA725 – Antarctic and Southern Ocean Internship, at the University of Tasmania, and must commit to being available for the whole of Semester 1, that is 22 February to 2June 2017. Please note that this internship is UNPAID.
Project Title
Antarctic krill fisheries: Is there a gap between science and society?
Supervisors
IMAS supervisor(s)
Name: Julia Jabour
Centre: Ocean and Antarctic Governance Research Program
Supervisor(s) from other institutions
Name: Keith Reid, Science Manager and Sarah Lenel, Fisheries and Compliance Manager
Location: CCAMLR Secretariat, Hobart
Background
Concerns in the 1970s about an expanding krill fishery in the Southern Ocean, as well as the history of catastrophic over-exploitation of seals, whales and fish, were catalysts for the creation of the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources. The Convention, which regulates access to and use of fin-fish, crustaceans and other living marine organisms, is often referred to as the ‘krill convention’ because of those origins. It is because Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba, is the main food source for a range of high profile ‘charismatic megafauna’ – whales, seals, penguins – that it has a higher profile than other Antarctic marine invertebrates (the word krill actually comes from the Norse for ‘whalefood’). Krill is also the only Antarctic marine invertebrate that is currently the target of a commercial fishery.
Changes in the market for krill products, especially for ‘krill oil’ (Omega-3), have increased public awareness of krill fisheries and generated a proliferation of ‘information’ about krill. With the high profile of krill, the history of global fishery (mis)management, and the region in which the fishery takes place, there comes a level of societal concern, often expressed in emotive terms, that in some cases may lead to a distinct gap between the information available to the public and access to the facts with which to evaluate different sources of information. This then leads to anti-krill fishing campaigns largely based on misinformation.
This project will seek to assemble available information on Antarctic krill from a range of sources, including public/social media, peer-reviewed scientific literature, CCAMLR meeting reports and expert opinion to evaluate where the greatest differences in opinion, information and expectation arise. Having examined the range of information sources available the project will evaluate what factors may create differences between societal and scientific perspectives, with a view to developing approaches to address these differences.
Project Outline, Objectives and Methods
The Internship will be hosted in the CCAMLR Secretariat in Hobart and will be jointly supervised by the Science Section and the Fisheries Monitoring and Compliance Section.
The project will provide a synopsis of public opinion about krill and krill fishing and identify where public opinion is, or is not, guided by data on the fishery that is available from CCAMLR.
This will involve a combination of internet-based research, stakeholder consultation, and scientific analyses.
The outcomes of the project will include a paper to be presented at a relevant CCAMLR meeting (either as a stand-alone paper or as part of a broader analysis). The intern will give a seminar at IMAS on the findings of the research and produce a submission-ready manuscript for assessment.
In addition to the research project the Intern will also be engaged in routine tasks undertaken by the Secretariat as they arise. This will provide the Intern with an understanding of the nature and variety of the work of the Secretariat of a multilateral organisation such as CCAMLR.
Data sources and IP ownership
CCAMLR data will be made available subject to the CCAMLR Rules for Data Access.
Skills needed to undertake this project
Good writing and analytical skills – essential
Knowledge of Antarctic fisheries – desirable
Experience of market research and stakeholder consultation – desirable
Training necessary to complete this project
No specific training required. Any training needs required for working in the CCAMLR Secretariat will be provided.
Infrastructure Usage
A computer with access to the internet will be provided.
Office Space
Desk space will be provided at the CCAMLR Secretariat.
Dr Julia Jabour
Coordinator
03 November 2016