Progress has been made.What is the Ross Sea Marine Protected Area (MPA)?
Covering over 2 million sq. km in the Ross Sea, the Ross Sea region MPA is the largest MPA in the world (see map). It was established in 2016 by the Convention on the Conservation for Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) after more than a decade of international negotiations and scientific planning. In 2052, it will be up for re-establishment by CCAMLR, which consists of 26 member states plus the EU. The Ross Sea MPA took more than just policy and science... In the decade-long campaign to earn protection via CCAMLR, the Ross Sea, nicknamed “The Last Ocean,” became internationally renowned as an ecosystem worth protecting. Dr. Brooks participated in the process, and her husband John B. Weller, a distinguished wildlife photographer and conservationist, co-created The Last Ocean campaign. Dr. Brooks credits the combination of science, policy and public support as the foundation for the political window of opportunity to establish the Ross Sea MPA. What do the MPA zones mean? The General Protection Zone (GPZ) covers the majority of the MPA (1.66 million sq. km) and no commercial fishing is allowed (Brooks et al., 2021). The Krill Research Zone (KRZ) covers 322,000 sq. km and no commercial fishing is allowed except for limited allowances of exploratory commercial krill fishing. And finally, the Special Research Zone (SRZ) covers 110,000 sq. km and allows limited commercial fishing of toothfish and exploratory commercial krill fishing per Conservation Measure 51-04. Mining, whaling, dumping, and discharge and are also prohibited across the whole MPA.  Map of proposed and adopted MPAs in Antarctica. Note the dark blue is the Ross Sea MPA. Map from Brooks et al. 2019.
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The Ross Sea Regional MPA with protection zones: General Protection Zone, Special Research Zone, and Krill Research Zone. Photo by: Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.
It's not over yet...
Without question the Ross Sea MPA was a diplomatic success, but it still remains to be seen whether the MPA will protect the region's ecological structure, function and biodiversity. Individual countries (member states of CCAMLR) will need to perform the enforcement, research and monitoring of this MPA (Brooks et al., 2019). Fishing and Climate Change Impacts Even though the MPA covers a large portion of the Ross Sea, there is a highly productive commercial toothfish fishery just outside the MPA boundaries. Scientists (including us) are working to find out what impacts the fishery may or may not be having on toothfish populations and the ecosystem at large. Additionally, we're trying to elucidate climate change impacts on the Ross Sea region. There is a lot to be researched and monitored. Elsewhere in the Southern Ocean... Aside from the Ross Sea MPA, there is also the South Orkney Islands Southern Shelf MPA (94,000 sq. km). In addition, there are multiple other proposed MPAs in the Southern Ocean (see map): the East Antarctic MPA, the Weddell Sea MPA, and the Antarctic Peninsula MPA. There is a lot to be learned from the establishment of the Ross Sea MPA. 
An Antarctic toothfish in the Ross Sea. Photo by Paul A. Cziko and Chris Cheng.
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