It is alarming that the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) failed to reach consensus over proposals to establish any new large-scale marine protected areas (MPAs) in the Southern Ocean this year (Nature http://doi.org/jxb; 2012). Some members set a worrying precedent by trying to dismiss advice previously agreed by the commission's scientific committee and working groups. The CCAMLR must deliver on its commitments, to uphold its reputation and convince the world that protecting the Antarctic marine ecosystem remains paramount.

The CCAMLR was committed to establishing MPAs by 2012, having designated its first MPA in 2009. Since then, the viewpoints of CCAMLR member states have polarized (see CCAMLR report XXXI; go.nature.com/fqqpdh). These fishing nations may fear that new MPAs could deny them future economic opportunities.

Food security is a vital global issue, and the Southern Ocean, home to one of the last underdeveloped sources of marine protein, Antarctic krill, could be critical. Governments need to recognize that conservation must go hand in hand with sustainable harvesting.

To ensure that their history of cooperation continues, all CCAMLR members should engage in the development process for MPA proposals, evaluating threats to biodiversity and identifying mutually desirable outcomes. Joint MPA proposals are needed that incorporate data and analyses from as many members as possible. Input from non-governmental organizations that focus on development, as well as from conservationists, would help.