North Pacific Fisheries Commission Should Seize Opportunity to Raise Its Game

Protecting ocean health while supporting sustainable fisheries is hard work, and it takes time. But those dual goals are also urgent. So 10 years after the formation of the North Pacific Fisheries Commission (NPFC), it’s time for the NPFC to step up and strengthen oversight of the fisheries it manages. When the Commission meets in Osaka, Japan, from 24-27 March, its nine member States should pause bottom fishing on ecologically important underwater mountains and take other steps to ensure that catch from the north Pacific is legally caught and traceable throughout the supply chain.

Increase oversight of the seafood supply chain

Strong monitoring of fishing activities is a critical component of sustainable management.  And although transshipment—the transfer of catch between a fishing vessel and a carrier vessel at sea or in port—is an essential way to get fish to market, the NPFC lacks adequate independent monitoring of this activity. As such, for the approximately 85% of NPFC catch that is transshipped, the Commission has almost no means to verify the accuracy of transshipment reports that flag States or vessels submit.

Since 2023, the NPFC has made strides to update its transshipment measure, specifically by setting reporting requirements and increasing data sharing with neighboring and overlapping RFMOs. But the Commission needs a transshipment observer program and a data sharing agreement with the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission to ensure that catch from the north Pacific is legally caught and traceable throughout the supply chain. In Osaka, the NPFC should therefore expand independent monitoring and close data gaps for transshipment activity.

A second chance to protect vulnerable seamount chain

NPFC waters are home to the Emperor Seamount Chain and Northwestern Hawaiian Ridge, which together comprise a highly productive and biodiverse series of undersea mountains extending northwest from the Hawaiian Islands. These seamounts are critical habitat for threatened species, such as endemic deep-water corals that grow slowly and take decades to form suitable habitats for other species, including those targeted by fisheries.

ROV SuBastian Schmidt Ocean Institute

After the NPFC failed to take action to protect these critical areas at its 2024 meeting, more than 50 scientists from 10 countries, including some from the NPFC’s member States, called for a bottom fishing moratorium in the area, demonstrating widespread concern for the health of these seamounts. Such a closure would give the area time to recover from previous damage and may also allow overfished stocks—such as the splendid alfonsino—to rebuild.

The NPFC hasn’t received a formal proposal this year to close bottom fishing across the region but can still take actions to protect at least portions of the seamounts, including through an update of environmental impact assessments and closures of smaller areas.

The 10th anniversary of the NPFC brings an opportunity to raise the bar for fisheries management in the north Pacific. By increasing oversight of fishing and transshipment activities and adopting a bottom fishing moratorium for the Emperor Seamounts, the Commission can stay true to its commitment to conserve fisheries and protect ecosystems.  

Raiana McKinney works with Pew’s international fisheries project.