North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission

North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission

File:NPAFC Official Logo.png Official Logo of the NPAFC
File:NPAFC Convention Area.jpg NPAFC Convention Area in the North Pacific Ocean and adjacent seas
Abbreviation	NPAFC
Predecessor	International North Pacific Fisheries Commission
Formation	February 11, 1992 (1992-02-11)
Headquarters	Vancouver, BC, Canada
President	Carmel Lowe
Vice-President	Jeongseok Park
Executive Director	Vladimir Radchenko
Deputy Director	Jeongseok Park
Website	Official Website
Members: Canada, Japan, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, USA

The North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission (NPAFC) is an international, inter-governmental organization dedicated to the conservation of anadromous fish stocks in international waters of the North Pacific Ocean and its adjacent seas. It was established on 11 February 1992 by the Convention for the Conservation of Anadromous Stocks in the North Pacific Ocean and originally consisted of four member nations: Canada, Japan, Russian Federation, and United States of America. On 27 May 2003, the Republic of Korea acceded to the Convention bringing the current number of Commission members to five. The primary objective of the Commission is to provide a mechanism for international cooperation promoting the conservation of anadromous stocks in the NPAFC Convention Area of the North Pacific Ocean.

The Convention

The North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission (NPAFC) was established by the Convention for the Conservation of Anadromous Stocks in the North Pacific Ocean. On 11 February 1992, the Convention was signed by Canada, Japan, the Russian Federation, and the United States of America, and took effect on 16 February 1993. The Republic of Korea later acceded to the Convention on 27 May 2003. As indicated in the Convention, the main objective of the NPAFC is to promote the conservation of anadromous stocks in the North Pacific Ocean. The NPAFC provides a framework for international cooperation on the scientific research of anadromous species and enforcement of fisheries regulations in the Convention Area. The Convention prohibits directed catch of anadromous fish in the Convention Area, but allows for some fishing of these species for scientific purposes under national and joint research programs with prior approval of the NPAFC. The Convention also includes measures to reduce incidental catch of anadromous fish in other high seas fisheries and prohibits the retention of these species on board fishing vessels in the Convention Area.

Convention Area

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NPAFC Convention Area

The NPAFC Convention area includes the waters of the North Pacific Ocean and adjacent seas (Bering Sea, Sea of Okhotsk), north of 33°N Latitude in international waters beyond the 200-mile zones of coastal states. Although not part of the convention area, member nations may conduct scientific activities south of 33°N Latitude beyond the 200-mile zone.

Species

Anadromous fish covered under the Convention include Pacific salmon and steelhead trout:

• Chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta)
• Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)
• Pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha)
• Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka)
• Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)
• Cherry salmon (Oncorhynchus masou)
• Steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

History

International North Pacific Fisheries Commission (INPFC)

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Interim meeting of INPFC ad hoc committee on abstention in Honolulu, Hawaii, 1954

Following the conclusion of WWII and the signing of the San Francisco Peace Treaty in 1952, Canada, Japan, and the United States of America entered into a trilateral fisheries convention known as the International Convention for the High Seas Fisheries of the North Pacific Ocean. The Convention was signed by all three parties in Tokyo on 9 May 1952 and entered into force on 12 June 1953, thereby creating the International North Pacific Fisheries Commission (INPFC). INPFC nations worked to ensure the maximum sustained productivity of fishery resources in the North Pacific Ocean while encouraging conservation and contributed to the understanding of anadromous fish species, groundfishes, crabs, and marine mammals in the North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea by publishing scientific bulletins, annual fisheries statistics, and annual reports.

The International Convention for the High Seas Fisheries of the North Pacific Ocean was especially important to Japan, as it helped re-establish the Japanese fishing fleet grounded by the Allied Occupation and provided access to fishing grounds northeast of Hokkaido in the North Pacific. Along with the re-mobilization of the Japanese fishing fleet, the Convention established a western abstention line; the westernmost limit the Japanese fleet could fish in the North Pacific Ocean.

The INPFC treaty worked in concert with multiple bi-lateral treaties between Canada, Japan, the USSR, and the USA to create a tapestry of policies that formed a North Pacific fisheries management regime. The first significant change to the INPFC treaty came in 1978 after a year of negotiations between members about access to salmon outside of a country's potential Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ); a concept developed at the third United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS III) in 1973. Most provisions of the original treaty remained in place and a new abstention line at 175° east longitude was developed for Japanese salmon fisherman. The conclusion of UNCLOS III in 1982, and ongoing discussions of a moratorium on pelagic salmon fishing in the North Pacific, prompted calls for a re-negotiation of an international salmon treaty by Canada, the USA, and the USSR. Japan at first objected to these calls, believing the INPFC framework currently in place to be sufficient, but agreed to re-negotiate a treaty in fear of being excluded from international salmon talks.

Establishment of the NPAFC

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NPAFC Members at the First Annual Meeting in Vancouver, 1993

On 11 February 1992, Canada, Japan, Russian Federation, and United States of America signed the Convention for the Conservation of Anadromous Stocks in the North Pacific Ocean. The INPFC dissolved on 16 February 1993 in favor of the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission.

The inaugural meeting of the NPAFC was held at the Ottawa Conference Centre in Ottawa, Canada on 24 February 1993, and delegates from Canada, Japan, Russian Federation, and United States of America participated. In accordance with the Convention, the NPAFC adopted rules of procedure, financial rules, and established an organizational structure for the Commission. The Canadian delegation offered to house the Secretariat at the University of British Columbia free of cost, which the Commission accepted. To aid in the transition from INPFC to NPAFC, the Commission decided INPFC funds be used to complete any outstanding INPFC projects and help fund initial operating costs of the NPAFC. The inaugural meeting also decided on the first provisional budget and selected an interim President & Vice-President on ex officio basis until the First Annual Meeting in November, 1993. Finally, a logo committee was created to design the first NPAFC logo which was selected at the First Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada. The First President and Vice-President took office 1 November 1993.

On 27 May 2003, the Republic of Korea acceded to the convention in accordance with Article XVIII of the Convention and became the fifth member of the NPAFC.

Organizational Structure

File:NPAFC - Organizational Structure.png

The organizational structure of the NPAFC

The Commission structure was established by the Convention and consists of five parties (member nations). Each party has one vote in the Commission and may appoint up to three representatives. A President and Vice-President are chosen in accordance with Section VIII, Article 11 of the Convention and are considered officers of the Commission.

In accordance with the Convention, the Commission elects a President and Vice-President who serve two-year terms with the condition that both positions are not held by representatives of the same party. Carmel Lowe (Canada) currently holds the office of President and Jeongseok Park (Republic of Korea) holds the office of Vice-President.

The Commission comprises three committees: the Committee on Scientific Research and Statistics (CSRS), the Committee on Enforcement (ENFO), and the Committee on Finance & Administration (F&A). The current Chairpersons of the three NPAFC Committees are: Igor Melnikov (CSRS), Capt. Stephen White (ENFO), and Junichiro Okamoto (F&A).

The Secretariat is led by an Executive Director and a Deputy Director. The Secretariat is responsible for logistics planning, publishing, and coordinating the flow of information between parties. The Secretariat has five full time staff members and runs a 6-month internship program which provides young professionals with experience in the operations of an intergovernmental fisheries organization.

Past Executives

Term	President	Vice-President
1993 ~ 1995	Vyacheslav Zilanov	Koji Imamura
1995 ~ 1997	Koji Imamura	David Bevan
1997 ~ 1999	David Bevan	Fran Ulmer
1999 ~ 2001	Fran Ulmer	Anatoly Makoedov
2001 ~ 2003	Anatoly Makoedov	Koji Imamura
2003 ~ 2005	Koji Imamura	Guy Beaupré
2005 ~ 2007	Guy Beaupré	Jae Hak Son
2007 ~ 2008	Dohyung Koo	James Balsiger
2008 ~ 2009	Suam Kim	James Balsiger
2009 ~ 2011	James Balsiger	Vladimir Belyaev
2011 ~ 2014	Vladimir Belyaev	Junichiro Okamoto
2014 ~ 2016	Junichiro Okamoto	Robin Brown, Carmel Lowe

Past NPAFC Chairpersons

Term	CSRS	ENFO	F&A
1993~1996	Leo Margolis	Rick Lauber, Vladimir Izmailov	Rick Lauber
1996~1997	Loh-Lee Low	Satoshi Watanabe, Shuji Ishida	Vladimir Izmailov
1997~1999	Oleg Gritsenko	Dennis Brock	Shuji Ishida, Ryozo Kaminokado
1991~2001	Yukimasa Ishida	Vincent O'Shea	Aaron Sarna, Gerry Kristianson
2001~2003	Richard Beamish	Igor Rypalov	James Balsiger
2003~2005	Loh-Lee Low	Takashi Kato, Akihiro Kizukawa, Koji Miyaura	Vladimir Shevlyakov
2005~2007	Vladimir Karpenko	Michael Cerne	Koji Miyaura, Kazuaki Tanaka, Hiromi Isa
2007~2009	Yukimasa Ishida	Robert Martinolich	Sergey Maksimov
2009~2011	Jin Yeong Kim	Jun Imamura	Gerry Kristianson
2011~2014	Mark Saunders	Jeongseok Park	Gary Smith
2014~2016	Loh-Lee Low	Alexey Monakhov, Oleg Volkov	Jeongseok Park
2016~2018		Phillip Thorne

Science

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Commercial salmon catch (in thousands of metric tonnes) by NPAFC member country

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Commercial salmon catch (in thousands of metric tonnes) by salmon species

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Hatchery salmon releases by country

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Hatchery salmon releases by species

Catch and Hatchery Statistics

Directed fishing for anadromous stocks in the Convention Area is prohibited, unless for scientific purposes with prior approval from the NPAFC. Directed fisheries and stock assessment activities are conducted by each member nation within their territorial waters. Catch and Hatchery statistics from these activities are reported to NPAFC. Recently, the Commission has created electronic data files that combine catch and hatchery statistics with time-series data and these data files are available to the public.

Pacific Salmon and Steelhead High-Seas Tag Recovery Program

Tagging of salmon and steelhead with disk tags on high seas research cruises has been conducted since the 1950s in the North Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Alaska, and the Bering Sea. Tag recoveries are used to investigate ocean distribution, migration, and growth of salmon at sea. Some fish may also carry an electronic tag which provides information on the behavior of individual fish, including swimming depth, and additional information on the salmon's habitat.

Committee on Scientific Research and Statistics (CSRS)

The purpose of the Committee on Scientific Research and Statistics (CSRS) is to provide scientific information to the NPAFC on the state of anadromous stocks and any ecologically related species within the Convention Area, promote the collection, analysis, and exchange of scientific data and specimens, coordinate international efforts to conserve anadromous stocks, review scientific research programs in the Convention Area and adjacent waters, and make recommendations to the NPAFC. The meetings of the CSRS are held during the annual meetings of the NPAFC.

The CSRS has the following sub-committees and working groups:

• Science Sub-Committee
• Working Group on Stock Assessment
• Working Group on Salmon Marking
• Working Group on Stock Identification
• International Year of the Salmon Working Group
• BASIS Working Group (discontinued 2015)
• Working Group on Salmon Tagging (discontinued 2016)

NPAFC Science Plan

The NPAFC Science Plan is a long-term plan for collaborative scientific research that is drafted by the Science Sub-Committee and reviewed and recommended to the Commission by the CSRS. The overall goal of the current NPAFC Science Plan (NPAFC Science Plan 2016-2020) is to understand changes in Pacific salmon productivity in a changing climate. Under this overall goal, there are five research themes:

1. Status of Pacific Salmon and Steelhead Trout
2. Pacific Salmon and Steelhead Trout in a Changing North Pacific Ocean
3. New Technologies
4. Management Systems
5. Integrated Information Systems

Enforcement

The Committee on Enforcement (ENFO) was established by the Commission under Articles III, IV, V, VI and IX of the Convention and is responsible for the coordination and exchange of enforcement information to ensure compliance with Conservation Measures in the Convention Area. The ENFO exchanges information among members on enforcement and inspection of suspected IUU (illegal, unreported, unregulated) fishing in the Convention Area and attempts by fishing vessels of members and non-member countries to avoid compliance with the Convention. Using frequent periodic communications among the fisheries enforcement agencies of its members, the ENFO coordinates information on patrol schedules and joint ship patrols, personnel exchanges, flag State enforcement and port State inspection actions, and on unauthorized fishing activities conducted by vessels without nationality operating in the Convention Area.

Enforcement planning meetings are conducted under the auspices of ENFO and are held to plan and coordinate NPAFC-related enforcement activities for the coming months. Participation is restricted to delegations from NPAFC member nations and access to information presented at the meeting is restricted to member participants only.

Enforcement Activities

NPAFC members identify IUU fishing vessels by utilizing satellite reconnaissance and performing areal and cutter patrols. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada assists US Coast Guard Cutters and USCG C130's by performing reconnaissance in CP-140 Aurora fix-winged aircraft over the east and central North Pacific. The Japanese Coast Guard deploys Citation V aircraft and CG cutters to intercept IUU vessels, while Russia deploys Kamov KA-27 helicopters and patrol vessels. All vessels and aircraft are assisted by RADARSAT-2 Earth Observation satellites.

From 1993-2015, the cooperative enforcement efforts of the NPAFC Parties resulted in the detection of 47 vessels conducting directed driftnet fishing operations for salmon in the Convention Area. Of those vessels, 20 were apprehended. The largest apprehension of salmon occurred in 1997 during a joint Japanese-American enforcement operation where one hundred and twenty tons of salmon were confiscated from the vessel nanao 55008.

A complete list of vessel apprehensions may be found here.

Enforcement Vehicles

CP-140 Aurora

Citation V

Kamov KA-27 Helix

USCG C130

Japanese Vessel

Russian Patrol Vessel

CG Cutters

RADARSAT

International Year of the Salmon

The International Year of the Salmon (IYS) is an international initiative to raise the capacity of collaborative outreach and research to meet the issues facing wild salmon, and the communities that benefit them, under the backdrop of increasing environmental variability. The IYS is a joint venture launched by the NPAFC, the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization (NASCO), and other partners. The overall theme of the initiative is 'Salmon and People in a Changing World'. Through outreach efforts, the IYS will create awareness and advance understanding of challenges facing salmon populations and the communities that are associated with them. An investment in research will also be stimulated by the initiative, which will and leave behind a legacy of knowledge, data/information systems, tools, and a new generation of scientists better informed to provide effective advice on the rational management of salmon.

The research themes of the IYS have been identified as follows:

• Status of Salmon: to understand the present status of salmon and their environment
• Salmon in a changing salmosphere: to understand and quantify the effects of natural environmental variability and anthropogenic factors affecting salmon distribution and abundance and to make projections of their future changes
• New Frontiers: to develop new technologies and analytical methods to advance salmon science and to explore the uncharted regions of the salmosphere
• Human Dimension: to investigate the cultural, social, and economic elements that depend upon sustainable salmon populations
• Information Systems: to develop an integrated archive of accessible electronic data collected during the IYS and tools to support future research

Outreach and research efforts of the IYS will occur at three spatial scales: the northern hemisphere or “salmosphere”, the basin or regional scale (Pacific, Atlantic, Arctic, and Baltic), and the local or coastal scale.

Timeline

The focal year of the IYS is 2019, with the opening symposium occurring in late 2018, and activities lasting until 2022.

2016–2018	Setting the stage: planning, coordinating, enlisting partners and contributors
2018	IYS symposium
2019	IYS focal year
2020–2022	Wrap-up: final analyses, publication, concluding symposium

Publications

The NPAFC produces a number of publications for members and the public including: scientific Bulletins, Technical Reports, Special Publications, Other Publications, Statistical Yearbooks, Annual Reports, newsletters, and other documents. Annual Reports and the Statistical Yearbook are published annually, while the NPAFC Newsletter is published bi-annually. The NPAFC documents page is updated regularly and Bulletins, Technical Reports, Special Reports, and other reports are published irregularly.

Publication	Cover Page	Title	Date
Bulletin No 1.		Assessment and Status of Pacific Rim Salmonid Stocks	1998
Bulletin No 2.		Recent Changes in Ocean Production of Pacific Salmon	2000
Bulletin No 3.		A Review of the Research on the Early Marine Period of Pacific Salmon by Canada, Japan, Russia, and the United States	2003
Bulletin No 4.		Status of Pacific Salmon and Their Role in North Pacific Marine Ecosystems	2007
Bulletin No 5.		Climate Change, Production Trends, and Carrying Capacity of Pacific Salmon in the Bering Sea and Adjacent Waters	2009
Bulletin No 6.		Pacific Salmon and Steelhead Production in a Changing Climate: Past, Present, and Future	2016
Technical Report No 1.		Climate Change and Salmon Production	1998
Technical Report No 2.		Comparative Studies on Juvenile Salmon Ecology between the East and West North Pacific Ocean	2001
Technical Report No 3.		Salmonid Otolith Marking	2001
Technical Report No 4.		Causes of Marine Mortality of Salmon in the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans and in the Baltic Sea	2002
Technical Report No 5.		Application of Stock Identification in Defining Marine Distribution and Migration of Salmon	2004
Technical Report No 6.		BASIS 2004: Salmon and Marine Ecosystems in the Bering Sea and Adjacent Waters	2005
Technical Report No 7.		BASIS 2004: Second International Workshop on Factors Affecting Production of Juvenile Salmon: Survival Strategy of Asian and North American Juvenile Salmon in the Ocean	2007
Technical Report No 8.		International Workshop on Explanations for the High Abundance of Pink and Chum Salmon and Future Trends	2012
Technical Report No 9.		3rd International Workshop on Migration and Survival Mechanisms of Juvenile Salmon and Steelhead in Ocean Ecosystems	2013
Special Publication 1.		A Long-term Research and Monitoring Plan (LRMP) for Pacific Salmon in the North Pacific Ocean	2009
Special Publication 2.		Climate Impacts on Pacific Salmon: Bibliography	2010

Bulletins

• Bulletin No 1. Assessment and Status of Pacific Rim Salmonid Stocks (1998)
• Bulletin No 2. Recent Changes in Ocean Production of Pacific Salmon (2000)
• Bulletin No 3. A Review of the Research on the Early Marine Period of Pacific Salmon by Canada, Japan, Russia, and the United States (2003)
• Bulletin No 4. Status of Pacific Salmon and Their Role in North Pacific Marine Ecosystems (2007)
• Bulletin No 5. Climate Change, Production Trends, and Carrying Capacity of Pacific Salmon in the Bering Sea and Adjacent Waters (2009)
• Bulletin No 6. Pacific Salmon and Steelhead Production in a Changing Climate: Past, Present, and Future (2016)

Technical Reports

• Technical Report No. 1 Climate Change and Salmon Production (1998)
• Technical Report No. 2 Comparative Studies on Juvenile Salmon Ecology between the East and West North Pacific Ocean (2001)
• Technical Report No. 3 Salmonid Otolith Marking (2001)
• Technical Report No. 4 Causes of Marine Mortality of Salmon in the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans and in the Baltic Sea (2002)
• Technical Report No. 5 Application of Stock Identification in Defining Marine Distribution and Migration of Salmon (2004)
• Technical Report No. 6 BASIS 2004: Salmon and Marine Ecosystems in the Bering Sea and Adjacent Waters (2005)
• Technical Report No. 7 Second International Workshop on Factors Affecting Production of Juvenile Salmon: Survival Strategy of Asian and North American Juvenile Salmon in the Ocean (2007)
• Technical Report No. 8 International Workshop on Explanations for the High Abundance of Pink and Chum Salmon and Future Trends (2012)
• Technical Report No. 9 3rd International Workshop on Migration and Survival Mechanisms of Juvenile Salmon and Steelhead in Ocean Ecosystems (2013)

Special Publications

• Special Publication No. 1 A Long-term Research and Monitoring Plan (LRMP) for Pacific Salmon in the North Pacific Ocean (2009)
• Special Publication No. 2 Climate Impacts on Pacific Salmon: Bibliography (2010)

Other Publications

• Science Plan 1995-96
• Science Plan 1997-98
• Science Plan 2001-2005
• NPAFC "Activities and Science Plan 2006-2010" Brochure
• Science Plan 2006-2010
• Science Plan 2011-2015
• Science Plan 2016-2020

Internship Program

The NPAFC Secretariat hosts citizens from member nations for the internship program which runs for approximately 6-months. Generally the Commission accepts one intern per year, although in 2016, two interns were chosen. The objective of the NPAFC internship is to help early-career professionals gain experience and knowledge in operations of the Commission and provide an opportunity to test their interest in international governmental organizations, management, fisheries, biology, ecology, and fisheries enforcement.

NPAFC Award

File:NPAFC Award Plaque.jpg

NPAFC Award plaque template

The NPAFC Award was established in 2011 to recognize an individual for significant and sustained contributions in the areas of scientific research, enforcement, international cooperation, or management for the conservation of any anadromous salmon and/or steelhead stock during the marine life history phase in the North Pacific Ocean.

The award is presented by the NPAFC President at the Second Plenary Session of the Annual Meeting and consists of a plaque engraved with the recipient’s name. A large plaque is maintained at the NPAFC Secretariat with the names of all the award winners, which grows as the names accumulate over time. The recipient will receive financial support, if necessary, to attend the Second Plenary and receive the award.

References

External Links

• North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission
• PICES The NPAFC and the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES) signed a memorandum of understanding in 1998 to maintain reciprocal consultations and regular contacts on matters of common interest in the field of marine scientific research.
• WCPFC The NPAFC and the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) signed a memorandum of cooperation in 2010 to maintain consultation, co-operation and collaboration in respect to matters of common interest to the two organizations.
• Pacific Salmon Commission
• North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization