WCPFC Monitoring, Control and
Surveillance (MCS) Scheme
(including the WCPFC Record of Fishing Vessels and
WCPFC Temporary Register of Fish Carriers and Bunkers)

Introduction 

Fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) consists of three distinct, integrated activities, defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as follows:

• monitoring - the continuous requirement for the measurement of fishing effort characteristics and resource yields (and catches);
• control - the regulatory conditions under which the exploitation of the resource may be conducted; and
• surveillance - the degree and types of observations required to maintain compliance with the regulatory controls imposed on fishing activities.

Several elements of the Commission’s MCS Scheme (regulatory framework) were elaborated during the Preparatory Conference process from 2001 to 2004 and became operational on adoption during the Commission’s Inaugural Session in December 2004.  These included the WCPFC Record of Fishing Vessels and Authorizations to Fish on the High Seas in the Convention Area (CMM 2004-01), Procedures for Cooperating Non-members (CMM 2004-02) and Specifications for the Marking and Identification of Fishing Vessels (CMM 2004-03). 

During 2006 and 2007 good progress was made with the elaboration of additional elements of the Commission’s MCS Scheme.  At WCPFC3 a set of procedures for boarding and inspection on the high seas in the Convention Area (CMM 2006-08) was adopted that is fully consistent with the provisions of Articles 21 and 22 of the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement. 

The Fourth Regular Session of the Commission (WCPFC4) in December 2007 endorsed several TCC3 recommendations relating to high seas boarding and inspection procedures.  The Fifth Regular Session of the Commission (WCPFC5) received reports from Members regarding their successful implementation of these procedures during their first year of operation.  Eight (8) successful high seas boardings have been reported to the WCPFC Secretariat since late November 2008 with no reported incidences of non-compliance. 

WCPFC3 formally established a Regional Observer Programme (ROP) that was further developed during 2007and 2008 by means of an Inter-sessional Working Group (ROP-IWG).  WCPFC4 adopted CMM 2007-01 on the ROP, implementation of which is based on the use of existing regional, sub-regional and national programmes.  CMM 2007-01 provides for gradual development of the ROP through 2014 with the ROP-IWG tasked to consider issues such as the minimum size of vessel requiring an observer, observer deployment, fisheries to be monitored, financial arrangements for supporting the ROP and observer coverage levels.

WCPFC5 received a progress report on the design and implementation status of the ROP.  During 2008 good progress was made towards agreement on the data that will be collected by observers, briefing and de-briefing requirements, dispute settlement, a code of conduct for observers, and measuring the performance - including through periodic audits - of both individual observers and national or sub-regional programmes that have been authorized to provide observers to the ROP.  Pursuant to CMM 2007-01 (Annex C) the ROP became operational on 31 December 2008.

The third meeting of the Inter-sessional Working Group on the ROP (ROP-IWG3) held at Guam from 17-20 March 2009 made further progress in relation to ROP costs, fisheries to be monitored, coverage levels, authorization of debriefers and requirements of debriefing, and observer safety issues.  Because the ROP-IWG3 was not able to reach agreement on costs, vessel size limitations, source of observers, and related definitions, additional work needs to be done on these issues.

WCPFC3 established a vessel monitoring system (Commission VMS) that was further developed during 2007 with implementation anticipated to commence on 1 January 2008.  WCPFC4 accepted a VMS Working Group recommendation that the Commission VMS be co-located with the FFA VMS at Sydney, Australia.  WCPFC4 agreed to establish an Inter-sessional Working Group (VMS WG) to describe the high level technical elements that need to be accommodated in the development of technical specifications, standards and procedures (SSPs) necessary to implement the Commission VMS.  WCPFC5 adopted these SSPs and agreed that the Commission VMS will become activated on 1 April 2009.  It also accepted the estimates of the VMS cost structure and adopted the WCPFC-FFA VMS Service Level Agreement (SLA) to support implementation of the Commission VMS. 

The Commission VMS was activated on 1 April 2009, with 280 authorized fishing vessels reporting high seas positions directly to the Commission VMS.  By 30 June 2009 there were 1,424 authorized fishing vessels being tracked by the Commission VMS.

Procedures for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing vessel listing (CMM 2006-09) were adopted by the Commission at WCPFC3.  During 2007 these procedures were used to develop a WCPFC IUU Vessel List comprising three fishing vessels.  WCPFC4 accepted the outcomes of a small working group formed to discuss proposed amendments to CMM 2006-09 and adopted CMM 2007-03 that replaces CMM 2006-09 in its entirety.  WCPFC4 deferred further discussion on outstanding issues related to CMM 2007-03 to TCC4 and WCPFC5.

WCPFC5 agreed that further development of guidelines for how the Commission should consider and assess the adequacy of any actions taken or sanctions imposed in relation to CMM 2007-03 should be a priority work item and referred the matter to TCC5.  WCPFC5 developed a WCPFC IUU Vessel List for 2008 comprising two fishing vessels, both of which were first listed in 2007.

WCPFC5 adopted CMM 2008-04 prohibiting the use of large-scale driftnets, greater than 2.5km in length, on the high seas within the Convention Area.  It noted that such fishing gear is subject to a global moratorium on the high seas and that its use may undermine the Commission's CMMs.

Additional work during 2009 will focus on development of a full trade/catch documentation scheme, transhipment verification, harmonisation of port State measures, procedures for responding to IUU fishing, development of a proposal for the control of nationals, work on a high seas Vessel Days Scheme, defining guidelines for chartering arrangements, and refinement of a review of procedures and processes for monitoring non-compliance in the Convention Area.