South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation

The eighth international consultation on the establishment of the South Pacific RFMO will be held from 8-14 November 2009 in New Zealand.   Meetings of the Data and Information Working Group and Science Working Group will be held during the preceding week.

Photo: Kim Westerskov

A gap exists in the international conservation and management of non-highly migratory fisheries and protection of biodiversity in the marine environment in high seas areas of the South Pacific Ocean. The gap extends from the most eastern part of the South Indian Ocean through the Pacific towards the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of South America. While vessels of several states have already fished in the area and continue to do so, the area is not covered by an organisation with the competence to establish appropriate conservation and management measures.

In 2006, Australia, Chile and New Zealand initiated a process for states to cooperate in addressing these gaps in the international conservation and management framework through the establishment of a new regional fisheries management organisation (RFMO). There are now over 20 states, as well as IGOs and NGOs, engaged in this process. The dates and locations of past meetings are summarised on the main meetings page.

A Science Working Group and a Data and Information Working Group were established by the first meeting.  These two Working Groups have met before or during each of the subsequent meetings.

Photo: NIWA

It is envisaged that the new RFMO will be established and operate consistent with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS) and the United Nations Agreement on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks 1995 (UNFSA), and best practice.

While other RFMOs, such the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Convention (WCPFC) and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Convention (IATTC) cover parts of this region, their mandates cover only highly migratory species. Fisheries that could be covered by this RFMO are predominantly discrete high seas stocks and those stocks which straddle the high seas and the EEZs of coastal states. These fisheries are both pelagic and demersal.