Insight for Sunday 22 December 2013

The annual hunt for Antarctic toothfish is now underway in the Southern Ocean.

But how many seasons are left before its home, the Ross Sea, gets protected?

The failure to turn the sea into the world's largest marine reserve for the third time has some asking whether the ruling organsiation needs an overhaul.

New Zealand and the United States have been making their case to the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources.

The organisation is consensus based- meaning any reserve needs the approval of 24 countries and the European Union.

Radio New Zealand's Environment reporter, Olivia Wix, asks whether CCAMLR is the right organisation to be creating a reserve.

Image: Pro- marine reserve activists in Hobart express their disappointment over the failure to create a Ross Sea Sanctuary