As is our normal practice following the conclusion of the annual meetings, the Secretariat has reviewed e-group activity. A number of e-groups have no recent activity (inactive for more than one year). A number were created specifically to support the work of the Commission or Scientific Committee at CCAMLR-42 or SC-CAMLR-42. In some cases, the Scientific Committee or the Commission has indicated that the work of these groups may be ongoing into 2024, while some of the e-groups have now completed their purpose and could be archived.

Annex 1 presents a full list of current e-groups, and indicates which groups the Secretariat suggests should be archived.

The Scientific Committee and Commission agreed to establish an e-group to coordinate information regarding High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (HPAI) (SC-CAMLR-42, paragraph 2.4, CCAMLR-42 4.6-4.11). The e-group can be used to contribute and organise information relative to HPAI as a resource for CCAMLR through the ‘HPAI coordination’ e-group.

The Scientific Committee agreed to establish an e-group to develop a glossary of climate-related terms, definitions, best practices and standards to aid in the selection and communication of essential variables, climate models and emission scenarios (SC-CAMLR-42 paragraph 5.12). Members are invited to contribute terms and definitions to the ‘Climate Glossary’ e-group.

Following the recommendation by WG-SAM (WG-SAM-2023, paragraph 7.4; see also WG-FSA-2023, paragraph 4.13 and SC-CAMLR-42, paragraph 2.148) the agent-based modelling e-group was created to allow Members to collaborate on code development. The current ABM code, as presented in WG-SAM-2023/17 is available on a private GitHub repository (details will be provided in the e-group). Members are encouraged to join the e-group to follow and/or participate in the development of the model.

Members should advise if any of the e-groups proposed to be archived need to remain active. Members may also indicate other e-groups that should be archived. A full list of active and archived e-groups can be seen in the attached file. Comments on the proposed list of e-groups to be archived should be sent to the Secretariat by 29 November 2023.

Archived e-groups will not be deleted but will be hidden from view and locked for editing. They may be re-instated as active e-groups at any time by request.