10 December 2014: The 11th regular session of the Western Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) agreed on a number of Conservation and Management Measures (CMMs), including actions to: modify measures for bigeye, yellowfin and skipjack tuna; mitigate impacts of fishing on sharks; and establish a harvesting strategy for key fisheries and stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean.

The CMM for bigeye, yellowfin and skipjack tuna aims to reduce mortality of juvenile stocks and to make progress on harvesting strategies for all key tuna stocks. The CMM, inter alia: modifies 2014 high seas purse seine effort limits for yellowfin tuna; extends 2014 purse seine and 2014 longline catch measures for yellowfin tuna to 2015; limits longline catches for yellowfin; and adopts a target reference point for skipjack.

The new CMM on sharks complements existing shark CMMs and includes measures for longline fisheries targeting tuna, billfish and sharks, including bans on the use of dedicated shark lines or wire traces on longlines. It calls on Commission Members, Cooperating Non-members and participating Territories (CCMs) to develop management plans based on total allowable catch (TAC) or another measure “to limit the catch of shark to acceptable levels” and to demonstrate how the fisheries avoid catch of highly depleted species such as oceanic whitetip and silky sharks. CCMs are requested to submit these management plans to the Commission by December 2015.

The WCPFC also adopted CMMs on, inter alia; a multi-annual rebuilding plan for Pacific bluefin tuna; and the Compliance Monitoring Scheme for 2015. The meeting also: appointed a new executive director, Feleti Teo, Tuvalu, who will begin work in March 2015; and established a Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) Management Options Working Group.

The WCPFC also discussed CMMs related to: Port State Measures, with the aim of combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing through improved port controls and fisheries and vessel inspections; mitigation of the impacts of fishing on highly migratory fish stocks and seabirds; and Vessel Monitoring System (VMS).

Secretariat for the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) Director-General David Sheppard welcomed the Commission’s decision to introduce restrictions on fishing methods for catching sharks in Pacific island waters in a press release. He said the measure “provides a small but significant step towards better protection and conservation management of sharks” and stated SPREP’s commitment to work with the Commission, regional agencies and others to address the bycatch of cetaceans, seabirds and turtles in longline and purse seine fisheries.

The 11th regular session of the Commission took place from 1-5 December 2014 in Apia, Samoa. Approximately 550 WCPFC Commissioners, Fisheries Ministers, Heads of Fisheries and observers attended the meeting. [WCPFC Press Release] [WCPFC Website] [Meeting Documents] [SPREP Press Release]