WCPFC’s Compliance Manager to Chair Global Tuna Project Steering Committee

Rome, 11-14 July 2023. The Inaugural Project Steering Committee Meeting for the second phase of the Common Oceans Tuna Project, titled “Sustainable Management of Tuna Fisheries and Biodiversity Conservation in the ABNJ (2022-2027)” took place from 11 to 14 July at FAO Headquarters in Rome, Italy.  The Steering Committee Meeting brought together representatives from the Secretariats of each of the five tuna RFMOs (CCSBT, IATTC, ICCAT, IOTC and WCPFC), and the project’s executing partners representing intergovernmental organizations, the private sector, and civil society to discuss progress and plans for the next four years.   

WCPFC Compliance Manager, Dr Lara Manarangi-Trott, attended and was elected Chair of Project Steering Committee to serve for a twelve-month term (until the end of the next annual steering committee meeting).  The Project Steering Committee is responsible for providing general oversight of the execution of the Project and will ensure that all activities agreed upon under the Global Environment Facility (GEF) project document are adequately prepared and carried out. 

The project, which commenced on 1 June 2022, is the second phase of Common Oceans Tuna Project which is aimed to address urgent challenges in global tuna fisheries with a focus on the areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ), by contributing to efforts that improve the status of tuna species and their habitats, reduce bycatch, generate more data and knowledge, improve cross-sectoral governance and benefit dependent communities. 

The project will continue to work on three technical components of strengthening management of tuna fisheries, compliance with conservation and management measures, and reducing the environmental impacts of tuna fishing in ABNJ.

WCPFC has provided in-kind co-financing to the project (USD$8,471,636) comprising a contribution in staff time and other operating expenses devoted to activities supporting the project objectives.

The Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) is a project executing partner, with activities to be carried out in support to the strengthening the capacity of fisheries officer to monitor and control their offshore tuna fishery.  The Pacific Community (SPC) is also a project executing partner and is involved in a collaborative project with Mercator Ocean International (MOI) and Conservation International, to improve understanding of the potential impacts of climate change on tuna fisheries globally. 

For further information, please contact: wcpfc@wcpfc.int

About WCPFC    

The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) is one of five global tuna regional fisheries management organizations, responsible for the conservation and sustainable use of highly migratory fish stocks, particularly tuna, in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean.  Established in 2004, the WCPFC comprises 34 member countries and territories, and seven cooperating-non-members dedicated to promoting the sustainable management of the world’s largest tuna fishery.  The WCPFC Secretariat is headquartered in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia.

About the Common Oceans Tuna Project

The Common Oceans Tuna Project, is a global partnership funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), promoting sustainable fisheries and biodiversity conservation in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) with a particular focus on tuna.  Led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Program.  The members of the Project Steering Committee include the five tuna RFMOs (CCSBT, IATTC, ICCAT, IOTC and WCPFC), and representatives of the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP), BirdLife International (BLI), Conservation International (CI), INFOPESCA, International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF/ISSA), International MCS Network (IMCSN), International Pole and Line Foundation (IPNLF), International Whaling Commission (IWC), Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Pacific Community (SPC), Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), PEW Charitable Trusts, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), The Ocean Foundation (TOF), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).