The 5th Regional Steering Committee was held on 7 November 2009, the final steering committee meeting for the project which ends its first phase in December 2010. Achievements of the Project were detailed in science, fisheries management and fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance.
Discussions on a potential second phase of the Oceanic Fisheries Management Project agreed:
• that the contribution of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) towards assisting Pacific SIDS in oceanic fisheries management was invaluable and much had been achieved under the current project phase;
• that the concept for a further phase of the project support by GEF needed to be ready for an early as possible submission to minimise the impacts of the gap between the current project and the next phase on the delivery of priority activities
Media Releases
Key fisheries meetings outcomes – Oceanic Fisheries Management Project Regional Steering Committee
Pacific Islanders achievements in driving international tuna commission highlighted at UNDP-GEF conference
CAIRNS, AUSTRALIA, MONDAY 26 OCTOBER 2009: As the 5th Biennial GEF International Waters Conference hosted in Cairns opened today, participants heard about the remarkable achievements of Pacific Island countries in fisheries management.
Even though Pacific Island countries have limited resources spread over a marine area 30 million square kilometers, they have been at the forefront of developing innovative measures to manage fishing including the establishment of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC).
The WCPFC, an international commission to set rules for fishing tuna in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean, has taken several measures to manage the tuna stocks such as cuts to bigeye tuna fishing, fishing observers, vessel monitoring system, closing some high seas pockets and introducing measures on sharks, seabirds and turtles.
FFA members make gains at WCPFC committee
POHNPEI, FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA, TUESDAY 6 OCTOBER 2009: At
the Fifth Regular Session of the Technical and Compliance Committee (TCC5) of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) in Pohnpei this week, Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) members advanced recommendations to increase effectiveness of fisheries management in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean.
The Technical and Compliance Committee of WCPFC makes recommendations to the annual meeting of the Commission, to be held in this year in December in French Polynesia. WCPFC membership consists of the 17 members of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency plus 9 other fishing nations. Decisions at WCPFC so far have been made by consensus although there are also provisions for voting.
Outcomes from the meeting include:
ACCESS TO HIGH SEAS DATA
Scientists discuss tuna stocks at WCPFC subcommittee meeting in Vanuatu
PORT VILA, VANUATU, 10-21 AUGUST 2009: At the annual meeting of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) Scientific Committee, scientists are discussing the state of tuna and other migratory fish stocks and associated fisheries issues.
Central to the discussions in the meeting of scientists will be a scientific evaluation of the effects of the new WCPFC Conservation and Management Measure on bigeye and yellowfin tuna, which was agreed to in December. This measure includes a phased-in reduction of long line fishing, a phased in ban on fish aggregating devices (FADs) for 3 months of the year and the closure of two high seas pockets to stop overfishing of bigeye tuna and yellowfin tuna. Many of these measures were previously adopted by a group of FFA Members that are Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA).
Tuna decision making processes explained
HONIARA, SOLOMON ISLANDS, MONDAY 20 JULY 2009: Ever wondered how countries negotiate the rules on tuna fishing? How international decisions between the Pacific Islands and the world’s biggest fishing countries are made? What is the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC)? Who are its members and what it has done so far? How the WCPFC seeks to control fishing and illegal fishing?
