Executive Director visits Seoul for discussions with Korean Government and industry

The Executive Director met with senior officials and industry representatives in Seoul on Friday 11 September to discuss a wide range Commission-related issues including the status or fisheries and stocks and emerging issues in the WCPO. Discussion covered the likelihood of the Commission’s Conservation and Management Measure for yellowfin and bigeye tuna achieving its objectives, the impact of the Measure on different elements of the fishery, the Pacific Tuna Tagging Project and importance of the cooperation of industry in retrieval of tags from the fishery, aspirations of developing States, the significance of fisheries in the western region of the Convention Area, Korean experience with implementation of the Commission’s VMS and regional observer programme, WCPFC member’s role and responsibilities in relation to Pacific bluefin; and the functioning of the WCPFC relative to the way other RFMOs function. The Executive Director thanked the Government of Korea for its valuable support to the Commission during the early stages of setting up the office in Pohnpei– and more recently, to the Pacific Tuna Tagging Project.