EU Leads on sustainable fisheries at South Pacific Fisheries meeting

The 12th annual meeting of the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO) has concluded last Friday 2 February. Under the EU lead, the meeting has seen significant strides towards sustainable fisheries management. The main highlight has been the consensual agreement on a new allocation for Chilean jack mackerel.

The agreement on the Chilean jack mackerel allocation, valid for the next decade, provides a stable and scientifically backed framework for the fishing industry. The EU saw its quota share for the Chilean jack mackerel increase, with a new catch limit set at 74,047 tonnes for 2024 - an increase of 22% from the previous year.

This is truly a milestone decision, underscoring the success of science-driven stock management, after the near-collapse of the Chilean jack mackerel stock at the beginning of the last decade.

SPRFMO members also reached consensus on several other crucial measures. These include:

• the tightening of transhipment rules
• the gradual increase of observer coverage in squid fisheries (along with the development of electronic monitoring standards)
• the decision to promote higher labour standards for crews on fishing vessels

The outcomes of the 12th annual SPRFMO meeting show the EU successful commitment to a sustainable and science -based management of fisheries and marine ecosystems.

Background

The South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO) is an inter-governmental organisation aiming at the long-term conservation and sustainable use of the fishery resources of the South Pacific Ocean and the preservation of the marine ecosystems in which those resources occur.

The SPRFMO Convention applies to the high seas of the South Pacific. Its main commercial resources are jack mackerel and jumbo flying squid in the Southeast Pacific and, to a much lesser degree, deep-sea species often associated with seamounts in the Southwest Pacific.

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