VME post-encounter treatment: Review of other RFMO/As’ practices and the NPFC situation

    Following the recommendations of the NPFC/FAO VME Workshop, the SSC VME recognized post-encounter requirements as a high priority task and agreed to prepare a quick reporting protocol to avoid multiple impacts on the same VME site, and also consider a process to introduce provisional area-protection around the encounter location, for example, a box with a set distance around the tow path. This task was further addressed by the VME&BF Data Workshop. The Workshop recommended that the SSC VME Chair and the Secretariat, in cooperation with Members, would prepare a draft post-encounter reporting scheme based on the practices of other RFMOs for consideration by the SSC VME Members. The intention of this working paper is to review practices of other RFMO/As with respect to post-encounter treatment and to summarize potential elements of a post-encounter scheme for consideration by NPFC SSC VME. This working paper includes three sections: 1) post-encounter treatment of other RFMOs, 2) potential elements of NPFC post-encounter treatment, and 3) potential information/data to be reported. Members are invited to consider the elements of post-encounter treatment, potential information/data to be reported in the event of encounter with VME indicators and other issues (area of application, gear, vessels) in order to review the NPFC encounter protocol.

    Document Number
    NPFC-2019-SSC VME04-WP01
    Document Version
    1
    Agenda Item
    Post-encounter measure
    Authors
    Bai Li, Aleksandr Zavolokin, Peter Flewwelling, and Dae-Yeon Moon
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