The Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) is an intergovernmental agency established in 1979 to facilitate regional co-operation and co-ordination on fisheries policies between its member states in order to achieve conservation and optimum utilisation of living marine resources, in particular highly migratory fish stocks, for the benefit of the peoples of the region, in particular the developing countries. The office campus is located in Honiara, Solomon Islands
Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency
Logo of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency
Following a declaration by the eighth South Pacific Forum in 1977,[1] the FFA was established by international treaty titled: South Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency Convention,[2] signed by 14 states, mostly small island states in the Pacific Ocean plus Australia and New Zealand.[3] Tokelau additionally joined the FFA membership in 2002. The FFA is based in Honiara, in the Solomon Islands.[4]
The following territory and states are FFA members:[5]
FFA assists its member governments and administrations in applying a coordinated and mutually beneficial approach to the conservation, management and development of regional tuna stocks.[7] FFA has assisted its members in developing or negotiating a number of regional or sub-regional instruments for this purpose. These include:
The Nauru Agreement (PNA): a subregional agreement that promotes collaborative zone-based management of tropical tuna purse-seine fisheries in the Exclusive Economic Zones of its parties, including through instruments such as the Palau Arrangement Vessel Days Management Schemes that limit total tuna fishing effort within the combined PNA EEZs, the Federated States of Micronesia Arrangement that provides for preferential access by Party vessels to the EEZs of other Parties, and three Nauru Agreement Implementing Arrangements that provide for such matters as shared conditions for licensing tuna vessels, including a requirement not to fish in the two completely enclosed high seas pockets of the tropical Western Pacific, a requirement for 100% independent observer coverage aboard purse-seiners, and a requirement not to fish on or interact with FADs during the months of July, August and September. FFA is no longer the secretariat for the Nauru Agreement, which graduated to independent operation in 2010 with its own office based in the Marshall Islands.
The Tokelau Arrangement (TKA): a new subregional arrangement that came into effect in December 2014 and which promotes collaborative zone-based management of South Pacific sub-tropical albacore tuna fisheries (mainly longline fisheries) in the Exclusive Economic Zones of its participants.[8] The participants have expressed the intention to develop and agree a binding Catch Management Scheme under this arrangement, and by their sixth meeting in October 2017 had agreed almost all of the text of a scheme, with the catch allocation mechanism for participating EEZs yet to be finalised.
The Convention for the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPFC): FFA members were instrumental in the agreement of this tuna RFMO Convention, which came into effect in 2004, and the joint FFA membership continues to be the most active proposer of new conservation and management measures under the convention. FFA members form one of the two permanent chambers in the WCPFC decision-making process. Assisting its SIDS members to nationally implement the measures they agree at WCPFC continues to be a major component of the work-program of the FFA Secretariat.
The Niue Treaty: The Niue Treaty on Cooperation in Fisheries Surveillance and Law Enforcement in the South Pacific Region is administered by FFA, and the Niue Treaty Multilateral Subsidiary Arrangement (NTSA) came into force in 2015. The Niue Treaty provides for cooperation in sharing fisheries surveillance and law enforcement assets, and for sharing information - including VMS information - as appropriate. Parties can agree to allow other parties' patrol vessels to pursue suspected illegal fishers into their waters, and otherwise mutually cooperate to ensure that IUU fishers cannot easily escape national jurisdiction.
The Treaty on Fisheries between the Governments of Certain Pacific Island States and the Government of the United States of America: Known in Pacific Islands fisheries circles as the "US Treaty"[9] this has provided for multilateral access by USA-flagged tuna purse-seine fishing vessels to Pacific Island Parties' waters (the collective EEZs of FFA membership with the exception of closed areas that are agreed from time to time). The US Treaty was agreed in 1987 and has moved through several phases. From 2013 to 2016 it operated under an annual statement of intent pending agreement on renewal of the Treaty, which was however achieved in 2017 after considerable discussion.[10]
The Harmonized Minimum Terms and Conditions for Access by Foreign Fishing vessels (MTCs):[11] are regionally-agreed guidelines for the development of national and subregional tuna fishing licensing conditions that are updated from time to time as a result of technical advice from the FFA MCS Working Group to the Forum Fisheries Committee (the FFA Governing Council of member governments and administrations), and used as a template for updating national policy and law as appropriate.
As well as its policy coordination functions in tuna fisheries management and MCS (Monitoring, Control and Surveillance), the FFA Secretariat also has a substantial role in assisting its member countries in tuna fisheries development, including economic analysis, appraisal and promotion of investment opportunities, and in upgrading national standards that maintain access to major foreign markets. This latter work includes the establishment or updating of National Plans of Action to implement FAO standards,[12] and the development of regionally-harmonised Catch Documentation Schemes and Port-based MCS measures for fish originating from Pacific Island SIDS waters.
^"Text of US Multilateral Fishing Treaty (1994 version)" (PDF). FFA. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
^"US Govt now insisting Pacific Islands change Treaty". FFA. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
^"Harmonised Minimum Terms and Conditions for Access (2015)". FFA. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
^"FAO International Plans of Action on Fisheries". FAO. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
External linksedit
Official Site of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency
FFA Convention Text
Ratification Status of FFA Convention
Aqorau, Transform: Tuna management and UNCLOS: Implementation of UNCLOS through the Forum Fisheries Agency. University of British Columbia Master of Laws thesis. 1990.
April 11, 2024
pacific, islands, forum, fisheries, agency, intergovernmental, agency, established, 1979, facilitate, regional, operation, ordination, fisheries, policies, between, member, states, order, achieve, conservation, optimum, utilisation, living, marine, resources, . The Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency FFA is an intergovernmental agency established in 1979 to facilitate regional co operation and co ordination on fisheries policies between its member states in order to achieve conservation and optimum utilisation of living marine resources in particular highly migratory fish stocks for the benefit of the peoples of the region in particular the developing countries The office campus is located in Honiara Solomon IslandsPacific Islands Forum Fisheries AgencyLogo of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries AgencyAbbreviationFFAFormation9 August 1979 44 years ago 1979 08 09 TypeInternational organizationPurposeFisheries managementHeadquartersHoniara Solomon IslandsCoordinates9 26 00 S 159 57 52 E 9 433328 S 159 964478 E 9 433328 159 964478Area servedPacific OceanMembership17 state membersDirector GeneralManumatavai TupouWebsitewww wbr ffa wbr int Contents 1 History and status 2 Activities 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksHistory and status editFollowing a declaration by the eighth South Pacific Forum in 1977 1 the FFA was established by international treaty titled South Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency Convention 2 signed by 14 states mostly small island states in the Pacific Ocean plus Australia and New Zealand 3 Tokelau additionally joined the FFA membership in 2002 The FFA is based in Honiara in the Solomon Islands 4 The following territory and states are FFA members 5 nbsp Australia nbsp Cook Islands nbsp Fiji nbsp Kiribati nbsp Marshall Islands nbsp Federated States of Micronesia nbsp Nauru nbsp New Zealand nbsp Niue nbsp Palau nbsp Papua New Guinea nbsp Samoa nbsp Solomon Islands nbsp Tokelau nbsp Tonga nbsp Tuvalu nbsp Vanuatu The current Director General of FFA is Manumatavai Tupou Tonga 6 Previous FFA Directors the title was changed to Director General in 2005 were Wilfred Bill Razzell Canada 1979 1980 Dick James UK interim director 1980 1981 Philipp Muller Samoa 1981 1991 Peter Kenilorea Solomon Islands 1991 1994 Talobak Victorio Uherbelau Palau 1994 2000 Feleti Teo Tuvalu 2000 2006 Su a Tanielu Samoa 2006 2012 James Movick Federated States of Micronesia 2012 2018 Matthew Hooper NZ is Deputy Director General Previous deputies were George Coulter UK 1982 1984 Les Clark NZ 1984 1987 David Doulman AU 1988 1991 Drew Wright AU 1991 1995 Camillus Narakobi PG interim 1995 1996 Ian Cartwright UK AU 1996 2000 Barry Pollock AU 2000 2003 Bruce Chapman AU interim 2003 2004 Steve Dunn AU 2004 2006 Dr Transform Aqorau SB 2006 2010 James Movick FM 2010 2012 Wez Norris AU 2012 2018 Perry Head AU interim DDG Feb Jun 2018 Activities editFFA assists its member governments and administrations in applying a coordinated and mutually beneficial approach to the conservation management and development of regional tuna stocks 7 FFA has assisted its members in developing or negotiating a number of regional or sub regional instruments for this purpose These include The Nauru Agreement PNA a subregional agreement that promotes collaborative zone based management of tropical tuna purse seine fisheries in the Exclusive Economic Zones of its parties including through instruments such as the Palau Arrangement Vessel Days Management Schemes that limit total tuna fishing effort within the combined PNA EEZs the Federated States of Micronesia Arrangement that provides for preferential access by Party vessels to the EEZs of other Parties and three Nauru Agreement Implementing Arrangements that provide for such matters as shared conditions for licensing tuna vessels including a requirement not to fish in the two completely enclosed high seas pockets of the tropical Western Pacific a requirement for 100 independent observer coverage aboard purse seiners and a requirement not to fish on or interact with FADs during the months of July August and September FFA is no longer the secretariat for the Nauru Agreement which graduated to independent operation in 2010 with its own office based in the Marshall Islands The Tokelau Arrangement TKA a new subregional arrangement that came into effect in December 2014 and which promotes collaborative zone based management of South Pacific sub tropical albacore tuna fisheries mainly longline fisheries in the Exclusive Economic Zones of its participants 8 The participants have expressed the intention to develop and agree a binding Catch Management Scheme under this arrangement and by their sixth meeting in October 2017 had agreed almost all of the text of a scheme with the catch allocation mechanism for participating EEZs yet to be finalised The Convention for the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean WCPFC FFA members were instrumental in the agreement of this tuna RFMO Convention which came into effect in 2004 and the joint FFA membership continues to be the most active proposer of new conservation and management measures under the convention FFA members form one of the two permanent chambers in the WCPFC decision making process Assisting its SIDS members to nationally implement the measures they agree at WCPFC continues to be a major component of the work program of the FFA Secretariat The Niue Treaty The Niue Treaty on Cooperation in Fisheries Surveillance and Law Enforcement in the South Pacific Region is administered by FFA and the Niue Treaty Multilateral Subsidiary Arrangement NTSA came into force in 2015 The Niue Treaty provides for cooperation in sharing fisheries surveillance and law enforcement assets and for sharing information including VMS information as appropriate Parties can agree to allow other parties patrol vessels to pursue suspected illegal fishers into their waters and otherwise mutually cooperate to ensure that IUU fishers cannot easily escape national jurisdiction The Treaty on Fisheries between the Governments of Certain Pacific Island States and the Government of the United States of America Known in Pacific Islands fisheries circles as the US Treaty 9 this has provided for multilateral access by USA flagged tuna purse seine fishing vessels to Pacific Island Parties waters the collective EEZs of FFA membership with the exception of closed areas that are agreed from time to time The US Treaty was agreed in 1987 and has moved through several phases From 2013 to 2016 it operated under an annual statement of intent pending agreement on renewal of the Treaty which was however achieved in 2017 after considerable discussion 10 The Harmonized Minimum Terms and Conditions for Access by Foreign Fishing vessels MTCs 11 are regionally agreed guidelines for the development of national and subregional tuna fishing licensing conditions that are updated from time to time as a result of technical advice from the FFA MCS Working Group to the Forum Fisheries Committee the FFA Governing Council of member governments and administrations and used as a template for updating national policy and law as appropriate As well as its policy coordination functions in tuna fisheries management and MCS Monitoring Control and Surveillance the FFA Secretariat also has a substantial role in assisting its member countries in tuna fisheries development including economic analysis appraisal and promotion of investment opportunities and in upgrading national standards that maintain access to major foreign markets This latter work includes the establishment or updating of National Plans of Action to implement FAO standards 12 and the development of regionally harmonised Catch Documentation Schemes and Port based MCS measures for fish originating from Pacific Island SIDS waters See also editSouth Pacific Tuna TreatyReferences edit Declaration on Law of the Sea and A Regional Fisheries Agency Forum Secretariat Retrieved 1 December 2019 South Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency Convention 1979 ATS 16 www3 austlii edu au Retrieved 1 July 2017 UNTC Retrieved 14 January 2015 Contact Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency FFA www ffa int Retrieved 1 July 2017 FFA members FFA website Retrieved 17 March 2016 About FFA Director General Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency Retrieved 14 January 2015 Welcome to the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency Retrieved 14 January 2015 Tokelau Arrangement FFA Retrieved 10 January 2016 permanent dead link Text of US Multilateral Fishing Treaty 1994 version PDF FFA Retrieved 10 January 2016 US Govt now insisting Pacific Islands change Treaty FFA Retrieved 10 January 2016 Harmonised Minimum Terms and Conditions for Access 2015 FFA Retrieved 10 January 2016 FAO International Plans of Action on Fisheries FAO Retrieved 10 January 2016 External links editOfficial Site of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency FFA Convention Text Ratification Status of FFA Convention Aqorau Transform Tuna management and UNCLOS Implementation of UNCLOS through the Forum Fisheries Agency University of British Columbia Master of Laws thesis 1990 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency amp oldid 1154946681, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
