Progress in the implementation of conservation and management measures for bigeye and yellowfin tunas in the western and central Pacific: sharing the conservation burden and benefit

In December 2000, the Convention on the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPF Convention) was adopted in Honolulu and became the first treaty implementation of the UN Fish Stocks Agreement. The objective of the WCPF Convention is to ensure, through effective management, the long-term conservation and sustainable use of highly migratory fish stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean in accordance with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 1995 UN Fish Stocks Agreement. In pursuit of this goal, the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) adopted conservation and management measures in 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2012 to halt overfishing of bigeye and yellowfin. This chapter examines these developments, their efficacy, and the key challenges facing the WCPFC in fulfilling its conservation and management responsibilities. Keywords: bigeye; UN fish stocks agreement; WCPF convention; WCPFC; yellowfin tunas