Report on Joint NPFC-PICES activities for COM-08, April 2024
The North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES) and the NPFC are both intergovernmental organizations which have several member countries in common and an overlapping geographic scope. PICES is a scientific organization that fosters multi-national, collaborative and trans-disciplinary science to advance the understanding of North Pacific ecosystems, and works with partner organizations to address shared priorities for scientific advancement.
Both organizations endorsed a Framework for Enhanced Scientific Collaboration in the North Pacific in October 2019, following the work of a joint Study Group which met over a year to draft the Framework. The full document can be found here: PICES_NPFC Framework
The Framework identified three major areas of mutual interest that were to be a focus during the first 5 years, to 2024: (i) support for stock assessment for priority species (ii) vulnerable marine ecosystems and (iii) ecosystem approach to fisheries. Mechanisms were identified to facilitate the cooperation, such as NPFC co-sponsorship of workshops and themed sessions at PICES meetings, participation in PICES working groups and reciprocal representation at each organization’s annual meetings.
The first 5-year Framework will expire at the end of 2024. Members of NPFC and PICES plan to work over summer 2024 to assess the progress on the priority areas identified by PICES and NPFC in 2019, and to discuss new areas for collaborations. The review will also assess the collaboration mechanisms by identifying which ones were employed and the utility of those mechanisms in achieving desired results, and identify new mechanisms for future joint collaboration. A document will be prepared that will lay out a proposed revised Framework that will begin on expiry of the existing one. The document will be presented to PICES and NPFC governance bodies at their next meetings for consideration.
This report summarizes recent and other upcoming planned joint activities.