Harvest Strategies and Allocation – Preliminary Paper

<p dir="ltr">The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) is unique among tuna regional<br>fisheries management organisations due to the significance of catches from small island<br>developing State exclusive economic zones, and their collective influence on conservation and<br>management negotiations. This has enabled the WCPFC to make significant progress on the<br>development of harvest strategies in fisheries that occur largely inside their waters.</p><p><br></p><p dir="ltr">In 2017, the 14th Regular Session of the Commission established target reference points (TRP)<br>for skipjack, yellowfin and bigeye that will enable the development of long term harvest<br>strategies. Simultaneously, the WCPFC agreed to develop a process to allocate rights for the<br>high seas purse seine fisheries, and the tropical longline fisheries more generally. Although<br>harvest strategies do not require explicitly allocated fishing rights, the implementation of<br>harvest control rules (with pre-agreed adjustments to effort or catch on the basis of changes<br>in stock status) does necessitate that there be explicitly agreed responsibilities for<br>implementing adjustments to fishing effort or limits, and clarity over how these adjustments<br>are implemented.</p><p><br></p><p dir="ltr">While negotiating these commitments, the WCPFC is required by its founding Convention to<br>ensure that decisions do not transfer a disproportionate burden of conservation action onto<br>developing States. More broadly, the global community has recognised the importance of<br>fisheries to SIDS, and Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG14) has committed to increase<br>the economic benefits to Small Island Developing States and least developed countries from<br>the sustainable use of marine resources by 2030.</p><p dir="ltr"><br></p><p dir="ltr">Looking forward, these simultaneous developments provide opportunities for the WCPFC to<br>carefully negotiate and create transparent and equitable rules to guide management and<br>allocation decisions, and implement their conservation obligations consistent with the WCPFC<br>Convention. use of marine resources by 2030.</p><p dir="ltr"><br></p><p dir="ltr"><br></p>