Environmental groups from all over the world are meeting in Hobart after China, Russia and a handful of other nations blocked massive Antarctic reserve proposals for the fourth year running.

Conservationists are trying to determine a way forward after the annual Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) meeting ended on Friday.

Representatives of 25 nations gathered in Hobart over 10 days for the CCAMLR meeting.

The Antarctic Ocean Alliance, a coalition of 30 environmental groups including Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund, said Russia and China blocked proposals before the commission to quarantine the Ross Sea and east Antarctic oceans from fishing.

The two marine protected areas would have been about two million square kilometres, the largest in the world.

Steve Campbell from the Antarctic Ocean Alliance said this was the fourth year in a row the commission had been unable to reach a consensus.

Sorry, this video has expired Environmentalists vow to stop Antarctic fishing ( Lucy Shannon )

"What China is saying is that under the convention fishing should be unconstrained until such time as it creates major damage," he said.

"Whereas the convention is very clear around the other way, it uses a thing called the precautionary principle that says that conservation and protection is primary."

The US and New Zealand sponsored a motion to protect the Ross Sea from fishing. Australia, the European Union and France proposed protections for east Antarctica.

The delegation went into the CCAMLR meeting this year having almost halved the reserve proposal in the hope of appeasing opposition.

CCAMLR is a consensus-based organisation, which means every one of the 25-member nations must agree to proposed protection measures.

Mr Campbell said he believed China and Russia were employing delaying tactics.

"We believe a lot of this is tactical and it's delaying," he said.

"We also believe all the questions that have been raised in the past have been answered by the proponents."

Mr Campbell said the environmental and scientific non-government organisations he represented were naturally upset with the outcome.

"CCAMLR committed in 2009 to establish a system of marine protected areas by 2012, it's clearly missed that deadline," he said.

"We're also frustrated for the proponents, who have been working on this for many years.

"They've put time and effort and money into this and we commend the efforts of countries like Australia and the US."

Mr Campbell said his organisation would return to fight for Antarctic marine protections again next year.

Australia's Antarctic Division vows to fight on

The Australian Government's Antarctic Division has vowed to continue to fight for the protection of Antarctic marine areas against commercial fishing.

Director of the Australian Antarctic Division, Dr Tony Fleming, said Australia would continue its campaign for the protection of pristine Antarctic waters.

"We were disappointed that the proposal didn't get up at this year's meeting, but we'll persist," he said.

"We've done a huge amount of work, a huge amount of science and we'll go back to CCMLR next year with our revised proposal."

Mr Fleming said he was surprised at the opposition from some nations, based on constructive behind-the-scenes discussions for months prior to the meeting.