Editing Ross Sea (section)

==Ecological importance and conservation==
The Ross Sea is one of the last stretches of [[sea]]s on [[Earth]] that remains relatively unaffected by human activities.<ref name="Ballard 2012">{{cite journal|last1=Ballard|first1=Grant|last2=Jongsomjit|first2=Dennis|last3=Veloz|first3=Samuel D.|last4=Ainley|first4=David G.|title=Coexistence of mesopredators in an intact polar ocean ecosystem: The basis for defining a Ross Sea marine protected area|journal=Biological Conservation|date=1 November 2012|volume=156|pages=72–82|doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2011.11.017|bibcode=2012BCons.156...72B }}</ref> Consequently, the Ross Sea has become a focus of numerous environmentalist groups who have campaigned to make the area a world marine reserve, citing the rare opportunity to protect the Ross Sea from a growing number of threats and destruction. The Ross Sea is regarded by marine biologists as having a very high biological diversity and as such has a long history of human exploration and scientific research, with some datasets going back over 150 years.<ref>[http://www.asoc.org/AntarcticAdvocacy/CampaignstoProtectAntarctica/ProtectingtheRossSea/tabid/140/Default.aspx]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100925022404/http://www.asoc.org/AntarcticAdvocacy/CampaignstoProtectAntarctica/ProtectingtheRossSea/tabid/140/Default.aspx |date=25 September 2010 }}</ref><ref name="ASOC pdf">{{cite web|last1=Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition|title=The Ross Sea|url=http://www.asoc.org/storage/documents/MPAs/The_Ross_Sea.pdf|website=The Ross Sea – Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition|publisher=ASOC|access-date=26 April 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511025352/http://www.asoc.org/storage/documents/MPAs/The_Ross_Sea.pdf|archive-date=11 May 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

===Biodiversity===
The Ross Sea is home to at least 10 mammal species, half a dozen species of birds, 95 species of fish, and over 1,000 invertebrate species. Some species of birds that nest in and near the Ross Sea include the [[Adélie penguin]], [[emperor penguin]], [[Antarctic petrel]], [[snow petrel]], and south polar [[skua]].  Marine mammals in the Ross Sea include the [[Antarctic minke whale]], [[killer whale]], [[Weddell seal]], [[crabeater seal]], and [[leopard seal]]. [[Antarctic toothfish]], [[Antarctic silverfish]], [[Antarctic krill]], and [[crystal krill]] also swim in the cold Antarctic water of the Ross Sea.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lastocean.org/Ross-Sea/Antarctic-wildlife-animals-Adelie-penguin-Emperor-penguin-__I.2431|title=Ross Sea Species|website=www.lastocean.org|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131217010157/http://www.lastocean.org/Ross-Sea/Antarctic-wildlife-animals-Adelie-penguin-Emperor-penguin-__I.2431|archive-date=17 December 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref> A distinct ecotype of Orca called Type C can be found in the Ross Sea. <ref name="Pitman2003">{{cite journal |author1=Pitman, Robert L. |author2=Ensor, Paul |year=2003 |url=http://swfsc.noaa.gov/uploadedFiles/Divisions/PRD/Programs/Ecology/PitmanandEnsor2003JCRM.pdf |title=Three forms of killer whales (''Orcinus orca'') in Antarctic waters |journal=Journal of Cetacean Research and Management |volume=5 |issue=2 |pages=131–139 |doi=10.47536/jcrm.v5i2.813 |s2cid=52257732 |access-date=January 9, 2010 |archive-date=April 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200427185038/https://swfsc.noaa.gov/uploadedFiles/Divisions/PRD/Programs/Ecology/PitmanandEnsor2003JCRM.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Albatross]]es rely on wind to travel and cannot get airborne in a calm.  The [[westerlies]] do not extend as far south as the ice edge and therefore albatrosses do not travel often to the ice-pack.  An albatross would be trapped on an [[Drift ice|ice floe]] for many days if it landed in the calm.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rosssea.info/sub-antarctic-bird-life.html|title=Sub-Antarctic and Polar bird life|date=23 April 2015|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150423115646/http://www.rosssea.info/sub-antarctic-bird-life.html|archive-date=23 April 2015|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

The coastal parts of the sea contain a number of rookeries of Adélie and Emperor penguins, which have been observed at a number of places around the Ross Sea, both towards the coast and outwards in open sea.<ref name="britannica1"/>

A 10-metre (32.8&nbsp;feet) long [[colossal squid]] weighing 495 kilograms (1,091&nbsp;lb) was captured in the Ross Sea on February 22, 2007.<ref name="Anderton, H.J. 2007">{{cite web|url=http://www.beehive.govt.nz/node/28451|title=World's largest squid landed in NZ – Beehive (Govt of NZ)|date=2007-02-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100523152104/http://www.beehive.govt.nz/node/28451|archive-date=23 May 2010|url-status=dead|access-date=2013-06-11}}</ref><ref name="BBC News">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6385071.stm|title=NZ fishermen land colossal squid – BBC News|date=2007-02-22|access-date=2013-06-11|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130917094636/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6385071.stm|archive-date=17 September 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="Kim Griggs">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6453997.stm|title=Colossal squid's headache for science – BBC News|date=2007-03-15|access-date=2013-06-11|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927071951/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6453997.stm|archive-date=27 September 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="Kent Atkinson">{{cite web|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/science/news/article.cfm?c_id=82&objectid=10507295|title=Size matters on 'squid row' (+photos, video) – The New Zealand Herald|date=2008-05-01|access-date=2013-06-11}}</ref><ref name="Richard Black">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7374297.stm|title=Colossal squid's big eye revealed – BBC News|date=2008-04-30|access-date=2013-06-11|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130919050815/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7374297.stm|archive-date=19 September 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

===Toothfish fishery===
In 2010, the Ross Sea Antarctic toothfish fishery was independently certified by the Marine Stewardship Council,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Marine Stewardship Council|title=Ross Sea toothfish longline – Marine Stewardship Council|url=https://www.msc.org/track-a-fishery/fisheries-in-the-program/certified/southern-ocean/ross-sea-toothfish-longline/ross-sea-toothfish-longline/?searchterm=toothfish|website=www.msc.org|access-date=26 April 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513234338/https://www.msc.org/track-a-fishery/fisheries-in-the-program/certified/southern-ocean/ross-sea-toothfish-longline/ross-sea-toothfish-longline/?searchterm=toothfish|archive-date=13 May 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref> and has been rated as a 'Good Alternative' by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program{{Citation needed|date=April 2016}}. However, a 2008 document submitted to the [[Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources]] (CCAMLR) reported significant declines in toothfish populations of McMurdo Sound coinciding with the development of the industrial toothfishing industry since 1996, and other reports have noted a coincident decrease in the number of orcas. The report recommended a full moratorium on fishing over the Ross shelf.<ref name="DeVries 2008">{{cite web|last1=DeVries|first1=Arthur L.|last2=Ainley|first2=David G.|last3=Ballard|first3=Grant|title=Decline of the Antarctic toothfish and its predators in McMurdo Sound and the southern Ross Sea, and recommendations for restoration.|url=http://assets1.thelastocean.co.nz/assets/Decline-of-the-Antarctic-toothfish_1.pdf|publisher=CCAMLR|access-date=26 April 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160124225717/http://assets1.thelastocean.co.nz/assets/Decline-of-the-Antarctic-toothfish_1.pdf|archive-date=24 January 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref> In October 2012, Philippa Ross, James Ross' great, great, great granddaughter, voiced her opposition to fishing in the area.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.3news.co.nz/Ross-descendant-wants-sea-protected/tabid/1160/articleID/274498/Default.aspx | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130222214944/http://www.3news.co.nz/Ross-descendant-wants-sea-protected/tabid/1160/articleID/274498/Default.aspx | url-status=dead | archive-date=22 February 2013 | work=3 News NZ | title=Ross descendant wants sea protected | date=29 October 2012 }}</ref>

In the southern winter of 2017 New Zealand scientists discovered the breeding ground of the [[Antarctic toothfish]] in the northern Ross Sea seamounts for the first time<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.hakaimagazine.com/features/peeping-mile-deep-club|title=Peeping in on the Mile Deep Club |work=Hakai Magazine|access-date=2017-08-16|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817034553/https://www.hakaimagazine.com/features/peeping-mile-deep-club|archive-date=17 August 2017|df=dmy-all}}</ref> underscoring how little is known about the species.

===Marine Protected Area===
On 28 October 2016, at its annual meeting in [[Hobart]], a Ross Sea marine park was declared by the CCAMLR, under an agreement signed by 24 countries and the [[European Union]]. It protected over 1.5 million square kilometers of sea and was the [[List of largest protected areas|world's largest protected area]] at the time. However, a [[sunset provision]] of 35 years was part of negotiations, which means it does not meet the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]] definition of a [[marine protected area]], which requires it to be permanent.<ref name="Guardian Slezak 2016">{{cite news|last1=Slezak|first1=Michael|title=World's largest marine park created in Ross Sea in Antarctica in landmark deal|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/28/worlds-largest-marine-park-created-in-ross-sea-in-antarctica-in-landmark-deal|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=28 October 2016|language=en-GB|date=26 October 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161028152059/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/28/worlds-largest-marine-park-created-in-ross-sea-in-antarctica-in-landmark-deal|archive-date=28 October 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Beginning in 2005, the [[Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources]] (CCAMLR) commissioned scientific analysis and planning for [[Marine Protected Area]]s (MPA) in the Antarctic. In 2010, the CCAMLR endorsed their Scientific Committee's proposal to develop Antarctic MPAs for conservation purposes. The US State Department submitted a proposal for a Ross Sea MPA at the September 2012 meeting of the [[Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources|CCAMLR]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Delegation of the United States|title=A Proposal for the Ross Sea Region Marine Protected Area|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/197887.pdf|website=Proposed Marine Protected Area in Antarctica's Ross Sea|publisher=U.S. Department of State|access-date=26 April 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref> At this stage, a sustained campaign by various international and national NGOs commenced to accelerate the process.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.antarcticocean.org/|title=Antarctic Oceans Alliance|website=www.antarcticocean.org|language=en-US|access-date=2017-08-16|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817033827/http://www.antarcticocean.org/|archive-date=17 August 2017|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

In July 2013, the CCAMLR held a meeting in [[Bremerhaven]] in Germany, to decide whether to turn the Ross Sea into an MPA. The deal failed due to Russia voting against it, citing uncertainty about whether the commission had the authority to establish a marine protected area.<ref>[[New Scientist]], No. 2926, 20 July, "Fight to preserve last pristine ecosystem fails"</ref>

In October 2014, the MPA proposal was again defeated at the CCAMLR by votes against from China and Russia.<ref name="Guardian Mathiesen 2014">{{cite news|last1=Mathiesen|first1=Karl|title=Russia accused of blocking creation of vast Antarctic marine reserves|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/oct/31/russia-accused-of-blocking-creation-of-vast-antarctic-marine-reserves|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=26 April 2016|language=en-GB|date=31 October 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513012625/http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/oct/31/russia-accused-of-blocking-creation-of-vast-antarctic-marine-reserves|archive-date=13 May 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref> At the October 2015 meeting a revised MPA proposal from the US and New Zealand was expanded with the assistance of China, who however shifted the MPA's priorities from conservation by allowing commercial fishing. The proposal was again blocked by Russia.<ref name="Pew 2015">{{cite press release|last1=The Pew Charitable Trusts|title=Pew: Nations Miss Historic Opportunity to Protect Antarctic Waters|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pew-nations-miss-historic-opportunity-to-protect-antarctic-waters-300169451.html|website=www.prnewswire.com|access-date=26 April 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160509124239/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pew-nations-miss-historic-opportunity-to-protect-antarctic-waters-300169451.html|archive-date=9 May 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref>