Past reports on the Administration of the WCPFC data access rules and procedures

What Are Data Access Rules and Why They Matter?

Data access rules are the guidelines that the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) follows to protect, share, and use the information it collects. These rules explain:

• What data is covered: For example, fishery catch numbers, vessel positions, and monitoring results.
• Who can see which data: Some information is made public for scientific or management use, while other details remain confidential.
• Why it matters: By having clear rules, WCPFC ensures that sensitive information stays safe, while researchers and managers can still use data to make smart decisions.

Over time, two main sets of rules have been adopted:

• 2007 Data RaP: Rules and Procedures for the Protection, Access to, and Dissemination of Data Compiled by the Commission (first adopted in 2007).
• 2009 MCS Data RaP: Rules and Procedures for the Protection, Access to, and Dissemination of High Seas Non-Public Domain Data and Information Compiled by the Commission for the Purpose of Monitoring, Control or Surveillance (MCS) Activities, plus Rules for Access to High Seas VMS Data for Scientific Purposes (first adopted in 2009).

Annual Reports on How These Rules Are Administered

Each year, the WCPFC Secretariat produces an Annual Report on Administration of the Data Access Rules and Procedures. These reports explain:

• How the 2007 and 2009 rules have been put into practice.
• Any updates or clarifications made to the rules.
• Examples of data requests and how they were handled.
• Recommendations for improving transparency and data use.

Below is a complete list of those annual reports, from 2013 through 2023. Each entry shows:

• Symbol: The official document code (e.g., “WCPFC-TCC9-2013-RP06”).
• Title: The full name of the report (clickable to view more details).
• Files: A link to download the PDF version (with file size).
• Date of Issue: When the report was released.

List of Past Annual Reports (2013–2023)

Page Updated: 8 Aug 2019