Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission (APFIC)

Infobox_Company | company_name = Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission
company_
company_type = FAO Article XIV Body
company_slogan = Making sense of fisheries.
foundation = 1948, Baguio, Philippines
location = FAO Regional Office for Asia-Pacific, Maliwan Mansion, 39 Pra Athit Rd., Bangkok, Thailand
homepage = [http://www.apfic.org www.apfic.org] The Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission (APFIC) (originally named the Indo-Pacific Fisheries Council or IPFC) is an FAO Article XIV Regional Fisheries Body which covers fisheries, aquaculture and related aquatic resource issues in the Asia-Pacific region. APFIC functions as a Regional Consultative Forum raising awareness amongst members countries, fisheries organizations and fisheries professionals in the Asia-Pacific region. In recent years, APFIC has covered a [http://www.apfic.org/modules/xfsection/ range of regional fisheries issues] including co-management of fisheries, low value trash fish in the region, IUU fishing and fishing capacity management, as well as certification in fisheries and aquaculture. A full description of APFIC and its functions can be found at the [http://www.apfic.org/modules/wiwimod/index.php?page=About+APFIC&back=WiwiHome/ APFIC information base] .

Secretariat

The Secretariat is housed in the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand.

Country membership

According to the [http://www.apfic.org/modules/wfdownloads/visit.php?cid=4&lid=42/ APFIC Agreement] 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 or the International Atomic Energy Agency may be admitted as members by a two-thirds majority of the Commission’s members.

Current member countries are:
Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, PR China, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, RO Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Socialist Republic of VietNam, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States of America

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. The 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 ( [http://www.fao.org/docrep/X2372e/X2372e00.HTM/ Report of the 116th Session of the FAO Council] ).This was subsequently endorsed by the [http://www.apfic.org/modules/wfdownloads/singlefile.php?cid=36&lid=2/ 26th Session of APFIC] 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. The [http://www.apfic.org/modules/wfdownloads/singlefile.php?cid=4&lid=7/ Report APFIC Ad hoc Legal and Financial Working Group] 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 are currently under review as part of the development of a Strategic Plan for APFIC.

References

* [http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/003/X6942E/x6942e00.htm#Contents/ APFIC: ITS EVOLUTION, ACHIEVEMENTS AND FUTURE DIRECTION]
* [http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/y5357e/y5357e00.htm#Contents/ DECISION-MAKING IN REGIONAL FISHERY BODIES OR ARRANGEMENTS: THE EVOLVING ROLE OF RFBS AND INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT ON DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES]
* [http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/x6951e/x6951e00.HTM/ APFIC: Its Changing Role]

External links

* [http://www.apfic.org/ Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission Homepage]
* [http://www.fao.org/fi/ FAO Fisheries & Aquaculture Department Homepage]