REVISIONS TO CMM 2023-05: THE CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT MEASURE FOR BOTTOM FISHERIES AND PROTECTION OF VULNERABLE MARINE ECOSYSTEMS IN THE NORTHWESTERN PACIFIC OCEAN

The United States introduces this proposal with a goal to review and revise CMM 2023-05 to ensure the North Pacific Fisheries Commission is acting as consistently as possible with the Convention – including our mandate to apply the precautionary and ecosystem approaches – and international best practice when managing bottom fisheries in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean.

The United States appreciates the considerable work of NPFC Members and the Scientific Committee (SC) to regularly consider issues related to this measure, including through the Small Scientific Committee on Bottom Fish and Marine Ecosystems (SSC BF-ME). The United States circulated an advance version of this proposal for input at the 4th meeting of the SSC BF-ME, held December 7-9, 2023 in Nanaimo, Canada. However, the United States did not seek endorsement of the proposal at the SSC BF-ME because many of the issues included in the proposal relate to the structure of the management framework and are policy issues that would need to be decided at the level of the Commission.

The United States acknowledges the long and complex history related to this measure and the broader bottom fishing management regime in the NPFC. The need to establish binding international measures to manage bottom fishing on the high seas in the North Pacific, as called for by the UN General Assembly, was one impetus for the creation of NPFC. The United States recognizes the scientific and management contributions of NPFC members, including those with a fishing presence, and the multilateral cooperation that has supported the development and implementation of these measures to date. While respecting that work – and contributing to it – the U.S. delegation believes there are several compelling reasons to reconsider whether the current measure is adequately precautionary and in line with our other obligations under the Convention, as well as recent guidance on bottom fishing from the UN General Assembly.