The Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission (APFIC), originally called the Indo-Pacific Fisheries Council (IPFC) is a Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Article XIV Regional Fisheries Body which covers

fisheries Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life; or more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a. fishing ground). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farms, both ...

aquaculture Aquaculture (less commonly spelled aquiculture), also known as aquafarming, is the controlled cultivation ("farming") of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants (e.g. lot ...

and related aquatic resource issues in the

Asia-Pacific Asia-Pacific (APAC) is the part of the world near the western Pacific Ocean. The Asia-Pacific region varies in area depending on context, but it generally includes East Asia, Russian Far East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and Pacific Isla ...

region. APFIC functions as a Regional Consultative Forum raising awareness amongst member countries, fisheries organizations and fisheries professionals in the Asia-Pacific region. In recent years, APFIC has covered a range of regional fisheries issues, including co-management of fisheries, low value/trash fish (may be referred to as

bycatch Bycatch (or by-catch), in the fishing industry, is a fish or other marine species that is caught unintentionally while fishing for specific species or sizes of wildlife. Bycatch is either the wrong species, the wrong sex, or is undersized or juve ...

where not targeted catch) in the region,

illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) is an issue around the world. Fishing industry observers believe IUU occurs in most fisheries, and accounts for up to 30% of total catches in some important fisheries. Illegal fishing takes pl ...

(IUU) an
fishing capacity
management, certification in fisheries (e.g.

ecolabel Ecolabels (also "Eco-Labels") and Green Stickers are labeling systems for food and consumer products. The use of ecolabels is voluntary, whereas green stickers are mandated by law; for example, in North America major appliances and automobiles us ...

) and

ecosystem approach The ecosystem approach is a conceptual framework for resolving ecosystem issues. The idea is to protect and manage the environment through the use of scientific reasoning. Another point of the ecosystem approach is preserving the Earth and its in ...

to fisheries and aquaculture and improving resilience of fishery livelihoods. Most recently work has focussed on developing a training course for

Ecosystem Approach The ecosystem approach is a conceptual framework for resolving ecosystem issues. The idea is to protect and manage the environment through the use of scientific reasoning. Another point of the ecosystem approach is preserving the Earth and its in ...

to Fishery Management and guidelines for tropical trawl fisheries management. The Secretariat is housed in the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok, Thailand.

Country membership

According to the Agreement on the Establishment of the Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission, eligibility for membership is based on:

Member Nations and Associate Members of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) which accept the Agreement in accordance with Article X thereof. Other States that are Members of the United Nations, any of its
Specialized Agencies United Nations Specialized Agencies are autonomous organizations working with the United Nations and each other through the co-ordinating machinery of the United Nations Economic and Social Council at the intergovernmental level, and through th ...
or the
International Atomic Energy Agency The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 1957 ...
may be admitted as members by a two-thirds majority of the Commission's members.

The current member countries are:

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, Bangladesh, Cambodia, People's Republic of China, France, India, Indonesia,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, Republic of Korea, Malaysia,

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Vietnam,

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

, Timor Leste, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States A former member state is the Netherlands.

APFIC area of competence

In Article VI of the APFIC Agreement the 'APFIC area' is described as:

Area - The Commission shall carry out the functions and responsibilities set forth in Article IV in the Asia-Pacific Area.

Comment This description is a broad definition of the area where APFIC will conduct its work. APFIC is competent in both marine and inland waters of its area of competence. Th
abolition of the Indian Ocean Fishery Commission (IOFC)
and its Committee for the Development and Management of Fisheries in the Bay of Bengal (BOBC) in June 1999 resulted in closer involvement of APFIC in this sub-region, as the functions of BOBC was transferred to APFIC by the FAO Council’s Resolution 1/116

. This was subsequently endorsed by the

in Beijing 1998. There is no change to the APFIC agreement in terms of membership, area of competence and functions of the Commission, there have been subsequent recommendations by the Commission to clarify where its focus of work should lie. Th

proposed that APFIC concentrate its activities on three subregions of the Asia-Pacific: • the Yellow Sea and its adjacent waters
• the South China Sea and its adjacent waters and
• the Bay of Bengal. As APFIC adapts to the changing needs of fisheries and aquaculture in the Asia-Pacific, its role and function have been clarified as part of the development of a Strategic Plan for the Commission.

References

APFIC: ITS EVOLUTION, ACHIEVEMENTS AND FUTURE DIRECTION

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20100521010405/http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/x6951e/x6951e00.htm APFIC: Its Changing Role

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Fisheries agencies Food and Agriculture Organization Organizations established in 1948 Intergovernmental organizations established by treaty Organizations based in Bangkok International organizations based in Thailand

Country membership

APFIC area of competence

See also

References

External links