Press Release, Forum Fisheries Agency

The Convention on the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean came into force on Saturday 19 June 2004. This major event is the result of a long and arduous process of negotiations in the Pacific Ocean region to establish a new regional fisheries management organization, the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries (WCPF) Commission and to introduce new standards of responsible fishing of shared tuna stocks ending unregulated fishing on the high seas of the region. The Pacific Ocean region now has in place a comprehensive and legally binding regime to conserve and manage the region's valuable tuna fishery.

Pacific island coastal States and territories, and fishing States commenced discussions at the Forum Fisheries Agency Headquarters, Honiara, Solomon Islands in December 1994 on regional arrangements for the conservation and management of highly migratory fish stocks. A subsequent series of conferences resulted in the conclusion of the final text of the Convention which was adopted and opened for signature at Honolulu, Hawaii in September 2000.

The objective of the Convention is to ensure, through effective management, the long-term conservation and sustainable use of highly migratory fish stocks in the western and central Pacific Ocean in accordance with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 1995 UN Fish Stocks Agreement. In pursuit of this objective, the Convention establishes a Commission for the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean. The Contracting Parties to the Convention are members of the Commission.

Fourteen countries have so far ratified the Convention and will be members of the Commission at its first meeting. All are members of the Forum Fisheries Agency, with New Zealand being the depository for the Convention. Several other countries, including some fishing States, are expected to complete ratification procedures before the Commission's first meeting. The first meeting of the Commission will be held in early December 2004 at Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia where the Secretariat for the new Fisheries Commission is expected to be based.

The functions of the Commission include the adoption of conservation and management measures to ensure the long-term sustainability of stocks; the promotion of cooperation and coordination between members of the Commission to ensure that conservation and management measures for highly migratory fish stocks in areas under national jurisdiction and on the high seas are compatible; and the establishment of mechanisms to monitor and control fishing on the high seas. Using this framework, Pacific Island Countries and other countries in the broader western and central Pacific Ocean region, as well as fishing States, will cooperate to secure a sustainable future for what is by far the world's largest tuna fishery. This cooperation will enable economic and other benefits to flow to the people of the Pacific

For Further information please contact:

Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency

P.O Box 629, Honiara, Solomon Islands

Phone: (677) 21124, Fax: (677) 23995

N.Barbara Hanchard

barbara [dot] hanchard [at] ffa [dot] int