Professor Glenn Hurry
Executive Director WCPFC
Pohnpei FSM
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Three themes for today:
◦ The WCPFC and its current challenges
◦ The Philippines tuna industry as part of
the WCPO
◦ Key issues
◦ What might the future international
fisheries management environment look
like for the WCPO?
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43 Member and cooperating non member
countries
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WCPO 55% of the worlds tuna catch
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PNA 40% of worlds canning tuna
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80% of catches from EEZ’s
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Tuna fisheries provide significant income to
PIC&T’s
Fisheries still in reasonably good shape
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Develop a replacement measure for CMM
2008/01-2011/01 for bigeye, yellowfin and
skipjack tuna…allocation?
Need to develop harvest strategy and
target/limit reference points (Critical)
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Effective control of Southern Albacore
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Management of Sharks
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Improve Observer program
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Overlap area and shared responsibilities
with IATTC
 Is
this the spawning ground for
the Pacific
 Philippino Catch history
 Obligations under the CMMs
 Data Collection
Skipjack
Bigeye
Larval
sampling
(Nishikawa et al, 1985)
Modelled
larval
distributions
1 year loop animation (Mar 2010-Feb 2011) of
predicted skipjack larvae distribution
(resolution ¼°x weekly)
Note: 2010 was a La Niña
year
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This CMM shall apply to Philippine traditional
fresh/ice chilled fishing vessels operating as
a group.
This measure shall apply only to High Seas
Pocket no. 1 (HSP-1),
Philippines shall require its concerned vessels
to submit reports to the Commission at
least 24 hours prior to entry and no more
than 6 hours prior to exiting the HSP-1 SMA.
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The fishing vessels covered by this measure shall
employ a regional observer on board during the
whole duration while they operate in HSP-1 SMA
in accordance with the provisions of CMM 200701.
The covered fishing vessels shall be equipped
with and operate an automatic location
communicator (ALC) pursuant to CMM 2007-02
The total catches of these vessels shall not
exceed equivalent to validated vessel days
fished in the high seas. The Philippines shall limit
its fleet to 36 fishing vessels (described
by the Philippines as catcher fishing vessels) in
the HSP-1 SMA.
Philippines contribution to the
total WCPFC Area Tuna catch
3,000,000
Other Fleets
Catch (metric tons)
2,500,000
2,000,000
1,500,000
1,000,000
500,000
0
Philippines Fleets
Philippines contribution to the
total WCPFC Area PURSE SEINE tuna
catch
Catch (metric tons)
2,000,000
1,800,000
Other Fleets
1,600,000
Philippines Fleets
1,400,000
1,200,000
1,000,000
800,000
600,000
400,000
200,000
0
Philippines Fleet catch in the
WCPFC Area
by GEAR category
400,000
350,000
Other gears (municipal)
Catch (metric tons)
Purse seine domestic-based
300,000
250,000
200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
0
Purse seine (bilateral)
Philippines Fleet catch in the
WCPFC Area
by Oceanic Tuna SPECIES
400,000
350,000
Bigeye tuna
Catch (metric tons)
Yellowfin tuna
300,000
250,000
200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
0
Skipjack tuna
Why collect data ?
40S
20S
0
20N
40N
Tuna don’t recognise man-made boundaries – they are
“highly migratory” species - so stock assessment and
management must be done on a regional, and
sometimes ocean-wide, basis
120E
140E
160E
180
160W
140W
120W
100W
80W
Long-distance (>1,000 nmi) movements of
tagged skipjack.
Tuna don’t recognise manmade boundaries – they
are “highly migratory”
species - so stock
assessment and
management must be done
on a regional, and
sometimes ocean-wide,
basis
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RFMO structure
RFMO’s and Industry
Sustainability
Population trends
Resource access
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The impact of meetings on PICT’s:
WCPFC, IATTC, SPC, FFC, PNA, TVM
Is there a better model:
◦ consolidate some meetings?
◦ ocean basin management, larger more cost
effective multi-species RFMOs
Consensus based decision making
Making RFMO’s accountable to civil
society
Partnerships in RFMO’s: governments,
science, industry, NGO’s
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Companies fish not countries
Multi-national companies and fleet
structure
Be careful what you ask for.
◦ Investment requires stability
◦ Long term profitability requires
sustainability
◦ Short term gain…..long term pain
Potential technical/ harvesting solutions
could come from industry
Strong fishing industry organisation?
 Demographic
changes
 Food security… emerging
debate
 Good fisheries data
 Climate change
 FADs
 Certification and Traceability
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World population:
7 billion (2012)9.3 billion (2050)
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Further demand for seafood, prices
◦ Added pressure on stocks
Who will our main fishing nations be?
◦ Old world – new world fleets
Multi nationals companies vs flag control
Joint ventures for better returns
Food security and food affordability
Social considerations in harvest control
rules
Improved RFMO decision making