Who Gets the Fish

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Who Gets the Fish? The International Challenge
William L. Robinson Regional Administrator Pacific
Islands Regional Office NOAA Fisheries Service
8th Pacific Rim Fisheries Conference Hanoi,
Vietnam 22-24 March 2006
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CNMI
Pacific Islands Regional Office NOAA Fisheries
Service
Hawaii
Guam
American Samoa
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Catches in WCPF-CA by species
Source WCPFC Tuna Yearbook 2004
8th Pacific Rim Fisheries Conference
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Catches in WCPF-CA by gear
Source WCPFC Tuna Yearbook 2004
8th Pacific Rim Fisheries Conference
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Total Catches of BET, YFT SJT in WCPF-CA by
fishing nation, 2004
Source WCPFC Tuna Yearbook 2004
8th Pacific Rim Fisheries Conference
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Total Catches of BET, YFT SJT in WCPF-CA by
United States, 2004
United States Total 3.9
Source WCPFC Tuna Yearbook 2004
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U.S. Fisheries in the WCPFC Area
North Pacific Albacore Troll
Hawaii Longline
Small Scale HMS
Western Pacific Purse-Seine
American Samoa Longline
South Pacific Albacore Troll
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• Sea Turtles
• Seabirds
• Mammals
• Sharks
• Fish

Bycatch
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International Cooperation Essential
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• Timeline
• 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the
  Sea (Implementing Agreement of 1995)
• 1994 Multilateral High Level Conference
  initiated.
• 2000 WCPF Convention opened for signing in
  Honolulu.
• Preparatory Conferences.
• 2004 WCPF Convention entered into force.
• December 2004 WCPFC first session in Pohnpei,
  FSM.

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Members
Australia Canada China Chinese Taipei
(Taiwan) Cook Islands European Community Fed.
States of Micronesia Fiji Islands France Japan Re
p. of Kiribati Rep. of Korea Rep. of Marshall
Islands Rep. of Nauru New Zealand Niue
Rep. of Palau Ind. State of Papua New Guinea
Rep. of the Philippines Ind. State of
Samoa Solomon Islands Kingdom of
Tonga Tuvalu Rep. of Vanuatu
extends to French Polynesia, New Caledonia and
Wallis Futuna extends to Tokelau
Indonesia UK (for Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and
Oeno Islands) United States of America
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Objective to ensure, through effective
management, the long term conservation and
sustainable use of highly migratory fish stocks
in the western and central Pacific Ocean
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WCPFC
Commission Members Representative/s advisors
Secretariat Executive director staff
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Capacity of Purse-seine vessels in WCPO
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Bigeye Tuna Catch/Overfishing in WCPO
High Recruitment Maximum Yield 95
Long term Maximum Sustainable Yield 67
Source WCPFC-SC1
8th Pacific Rim Fisheries Conference
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Yellowfin Tuna Catch/Overfishing in WCPO
High Recruitment Maximum Yield 95
Long term Maximum Sustainable Yield 65
Source WCPFC-SC1
8th Pacific Rim Fisheries Conference
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• December 2005 WCPFC 2nd session.
• Binding measures capping purse-seine effort and
  longline bigeye catch to current levels.
• Binding measure to cap effort on northern
  albacore and number of vessels fishing for
  southern albacore.
• Non-binding resolutions on bycatch for sea
  turtles, seabirds and non-target fish species.
• Non-binding resolution on capacity.

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• Challenges
• Collection provision of data
• Observer Program
• Boarding and Inspection
• Port State Measures
• VMS
• Funding the Secretariat

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Cám ón Thank You
William L. Robinson Regional Administrator Pacific
Islands Regional Office NOAA Fisheries Service
8th Pacific Rim Fisheries Conference Hanoi,
Vietnam 22-24 March 2006