Convention on the Conservation and Management of High Seas Fisheries Resources in the North Pacific Ocean

KEY POINTS

Parties to the convention must apply a number of general principles individually or collectively, adopting a precautionary or ecosystem approach. These include:

• promoting the best use and ensuring the long-term sustainability of fishing resources;
• taking steps to ensure fisheries resources are maintained at or restored to sustainable levels;
• protecting biodiversity in the marine environment;
• preventing or eliminating overfishing and excess fishing capacity;
• ensuring that data on fishing activities, including the impact on non-target species, is complete and accurate;
• ensuring compliance with conservation and management rules, along with sanctions to discourage violations and prevent offenders from benefiting from their illegal activities;
• minimising pollution and waste coming from fishing vessels, discards or abandoned gear.

In applying the precautionary approach, the parties must:

• be more cautious when information is uncertain, unreliable or inadequate;
• not use the absence of adequate scientific information as a reason for failing to take conservation and management action;
• take into account best international practice.

The ecosystem approach is an integrated approach where decisions are made to safeguard the wider marine ecosystems and ensure long-term conservation and the sustainable use of resources.

Organisation

• The convention creates the North Pacific Fisheries Commission (NPFC), with one member from each contracting party, which meets at least every 2 years.
• There are two subsidiary bodies: a Scientific Committee and a Technical and Compliance Committee.
• The NPFC can also set up other subsidiary bodies to meet the convention’s aims.

Conservation and management

• The NPFC has a number of responsibilities including determining the:
  • nature and extent of fishing for any fishery resource, including a total allowable catch or total allowable fishing effort;
  • areas where fishing may occur;
  • periods when fishing may occur;
  • size limits of a catch that may be retained;
  • permitted types of gear, technology or practices.
• The NPFC must put procedures in place for monitoring, control and surveillance of fishing, in order to ensure compliance with the convention.
• The NPFC must also establish an observer programme to collect verified catch and effort data, other scientific data and additional information related to fishing activity and its impacts on the marine environment.