Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission

Logo of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission
Abbreviation	WCPFC
Formation	19 June 2004 (21 years ago) (2004-06-19)
Type	Regional fisheries management organisation
Purpose	Fisheries
Headquarters	Kolonia, Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia
Area served	Western Pacific Ocean
Membership	26 state members
Executive Director	Rhea Moss-Christian

The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) is an important group. It helps protect and manage fish like tuna in the western and central Pacific Ocean. These fish travel long distances, so they are called highly migratory fish stocks.

Its full name tells you exactly what it does: the Commission for the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean. WCPFC started working in late 2005. Its main office is in Pohnpei, which is in the Federated States of Micronesia.

This group was created by an international treaty. This treaty is called the Convention on the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean. It became official on 19 June 2004. This treaty is a big step in managing fisheries in the Pacific.

How the WCPFC Works

The WCPFC uses rules from the 1995 UN Fish Stocks Agreement. It also considers the special needs of the western and central Pacific Ocean. The WCPFC makes sure that fishing groups follow its rules. Countries and territories can join the WCPFC's work.

The WCPFC also works with other fishing groups. This is important because some fish, like Bigeye tuna, travel across many areas. For example, WCPFC works closely with the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission. This helps manage fish that swim in both their areas.

The WCPFC has a special office called the Secretariat. This office keeps track of fishing vessels that are allowed to catch tuna. It also manages a system to watch these vessels. This system is called the Vessel Monitoring System. The Secretariat also helps set up programs where people observe fishing activities.

Scientists help the WCPFC make good decisions. The Oceanic Fisheries Programme of the Pacific Community (SPC) provides a lot of scientific advice. Another group, the Northern Committee, also gets advice from the International Scientific Committee for Tuna and Tuna-Like Species.

In March 2023, the United States Navy and US Coast Guard started patrols. They help make sure the WCPFC's rules are followed. They work with partner nations in the area to do this.

How the WCPFC Is Run

The Commission is the main governing body of the WCPFC. It includes representatives from member countries and territories. They hold meetings every year, usually in late November or early December. A Chair and Vice-Chair lead these meetings.

The Commission held its 19th meeting in November 2022. It took place in Da Nang, Vietnam. Decisions are usually made when everyone agrees. However, there is also a special voting system. Countries from the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) form one part of this system.

The WCPFC does a lot of its work through special groups. These groups are called subsidiary bodies.

• The Scientific Committee (SC) meets in early August. It gives scientific advice.
• The Northern Committee (NC) meets in early September. It also provides scientific advice.
• The Technical and Compliance Committee (TCC) meets in late September. It checks if rules are being followed.
• The Finance and Administrative Committee (FAC) decides on the WCPFC's budget.

The current Chair of the Commission is Dr. Josie Tamate. She used to be a leader in Niue's government. She is the first Polynesian person to lead the WCPFC. Before her, Rhea Moss-Christian was the first woman to be Chair of the WCPFC.

The WCPFC has a permanent office with an Executive Director. This person is in charge of carrying out the Commission's plans. The office is in Kolonia, Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia.

In December 2022, Rhea Moss-Christian became the Executive Director. She was the first woman to be Chair of the WCPFC from 2014 to 2018. She took over from Feleti Teo.

Trust Fund

In 2023, Taiwan promised to give two million US dollars to the WCPFC's trust fund. This fund helps support the WCPFC's work.

Who Are the Members?

Any country that helped create the 2004 Convention can become a member. Other countries or groups can also join if the current members agree. This helps control who can fish for highly migratory fish in the Pacific.

Members

Commission Members	Participating Territories	Cooperating Non-Members
Australia		Curaçao
Canada	French Polynesia	Ecuador
China	Guam	El Salvador
Cook Islands	New Caledonia	Liberia
European Union		Nicaragua
Federated States of Micronesia	Tokelau	Panama
Fiji	Wallis and Futuna	Thailand
France		Vietnam
Indonesia
Japan
Kiribati
Marshall Islands
Nauru
New Zealand
Niue
Palau
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Samoa
Solomon Islands
South Korea
Taiwan (as  Chinese Taipei)
Tonga
Tuvalu
United States
Vanuatu

How Well Is the WCPFC Doing?

The ISSF Status of Stocks Report gives a summary of how well the fish stocks are doing. This report helps us understand if the WCPFC's efforts are working.

See also

• North Pacific Fisheries Commission
• Pacific Community
• Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency
• Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission