Annual Reporting Deadline: Deadline for CCMs to submit Scientific Data to be provided to the Commission

Please provide these data in accordance with the latest version of guidelines for Scientific Data to be Provided to the Commission (SciData - version 4th Dec 2024) which is available on the Commission's website at this link https://www.wcpfc.int/doc/data-01/scientific-data-be-provided-commission-revised-wcpfc4-6-7-and-9. The guidelines concern the provision of estimates of annual catches, the number of vessels active, operational level catch and effort data, catch and effort data aggregated by time period and geographic area, and size composition data. CCMs are encouraged to use the guidelines detailed in Annex 2 of the SciData (Guidelines of operational level catch and effort data fields for longline, purse seine and pole-and-line gears) in preparing their operational data for submission to the Commission, acknowledging that some CCMs are already providing their operational level catch/effort data that align to these guidelines. Please do not hesitate to contact Dr Vidal if further information or assistance is required. Please note the recent addition of shortbill spearfish (Tetrapturus angustirostris) and sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) to the list of key species to be reported to the Commission in the SciData, and the addition of additional voluntary data fields for longline fisheries. Please also submit any Regional Observer Programme (ROP) data that were collected during 2023, and any outstanding data from years prior. IATTC and IOTC are kindly requested to provide annual catch estimates for 2024 in the same format as in previous years. Please send your data directly to Dr Tiffany Vidal at the SPC (as the contracted data service provider to the WCPFC) and thereby avoid delays in the preparation of data for the work of the Scientific Committee -- it is NOT necessary to send data to the WCPFC Secretariat. Please contact Dr Vidal if you have any questions.