Pacific Islands Oceanic
Fisheries Management Project
Project Sustainability & Follow-up
4th Meeting of the Regional Steering Committee for the OFM Project
17 - 18 October 2008
Apia, Samoa

Introduction
Working paper RSC4/WP 8 (Project Sustainability &
Follow-up)
overview of project sustainability and a brief account
of some of the relevant outcomes of the 2007
Annual Review and the Mid-Term Review that
support the rationale for assistance beyond 2010;
explanation of the process to develop a project
concept for the fifth round of GEF funding (GEF5)
and the GEF system; and
synopsis of other funding initiatives that are being
developed and which may have the potential to
impact on the design of a further project.

Purpose
Purpose to generate discussion on project sustainability
and the potential to develop a further phase of assistance for
Pacific regional oceanic fisheries management
Need to consider progress in the current project including
wins, risks & emerging parallel initiatives
Recall that the premises for GEF grant to the Pacific for OFM
is to address global concerns for unsustainable fishing and
negative impacts on ecosystems
Attachment A summary overview of the project

Sustainability
To understand gains, must know the baseline (2002
& 2005)
Comprehensive analysis of the status of the
fisheries stock, the robustness of the available
science, level and quality of the management as well
as economic and development aspects
Ongoing assessment of the role of OFMP & GEF
assistance to support regional initiatives to ensure
tuna stocks & ecosystems (2007 Annual Review &
Mid-Term Review)

Sustainability
Since 2005 it became clear that PacSIDs would need :
to elevate their efforts to ensure legislation, policy
frameworks were aligned to meet obligations to WCPFC
CMMs
Improve the understanding of the population dynamics of
tuna, related species & by-catch and environmental issues
(oceanic ecosystems & oceanography)
Immediate issue is the sustainability of OFMP project
activities to be able to continue where necessary when GEF
support stops & if there are actions that can be taken within
the project to ensure those programmes necessary will
continue

Sustainability of
Project Activities
Differences between regional activities for the 2 technical components:
- C2 budget committed to consultancies, workshops &
attachments so little at stake in terms of sustainability
- C1 committed to funding 4 posts at SPC/OFP & more concerns in
terms of sustainability
Major achievement is to have the Stock Assessment posts in phase 1
now taken up in the WCPFC budget & contributes towards the
sustainability of the core science function
Posts funded for coordination of monitoring, national scientific support and
ecosystem analysis support training activities (observers & port samplers)
and along with compliance training of inspectors raise the issue of
continuity.
Likely need to shift focus from regional organisation providing this training
to training service providers with sustainable cost recovery-based funding
Strategic thinking is required

At National Levels
Mixed pattern
Some signs of PacSIDS growing benefits from oceanic
fisheries & enhanced awareness of need to improve oceanic
fisheries management increased resources available for
national oceanic fisheries programmes (monitoring,
compliance, policy analysis, participation regional fisheries
affairs
But, PacSIDS role of fisheries is small and harder to make
the case for increasing resources for programmes such as
port sampling, observers, MCS, meeting participation &
therefore difficulties in sustaining national programmes
Outcomes are dependent on perceived economic value of
increased oceanic fisheries management efforts

Sustainability of Commission
Related Activities
Two issues:
Funding for Commission itself, largely from Member
contributions, but in future perhaps from cost recovery
charges should not be a major issue because of the relatively
small budget in relation to the value of the fisheries funding
issues are more likely to be political efforts to obstruct
Commission activities by tightening budgets rather than a
failure to meet financial commitments.
Pacific SIDS participation: likely to be less of a problem than
it could be because of the unique provision in the WCPFC
financial regulations (funding provided for a Pacific SIDS
member to all WCPFC meetings, including meetings of
working groups and other subsidiary bodies)

Follow-up
While it is relatively early in the OFMP execution
period to talk about follow-up, it is important that
planning for any further GEF involvement should
begin early enough for a further phase to be taken
into account in planning at the GEF, and within the
work programmes of FFA, SPC and other
organisations involved in executing project activities.
Any follow up should also follow logically from what
has been a decade long stream of work both on the
WCPFC Convention beginning in earnest with the
Majuro meeting of 1997 and the preparation of the
Pacific Islands IW SAP which was also initiated in
1997.

Developing ideas for follow-up
Phase I preparation of an international legal instrument & supporting
PacSIDS to "conclude & bring into force WCPFC"
Phase II support PacSIDS in institutional development & strengthening,
as they "participate in the setting up and initial period of operation of the
new Commission........., and as they reform, realign, restructure and
strengthen their national fisheries laws, policies, institutions and
programmes to take up the new opportunities which the WCPF
Convention creates and discharge the new responsibilities which the
Convention requires"
Also significant progress towards adopting CMMs & closing the gap of
unregulated high seas fishing
However, CMMs are stopgap measures aimed at "holding the line" &
capping fishing effort at recent levels & not long term strategic approach
to the utilisation of resources & protection of LME. More strategic
approach required

Some ideas
Further GEF assistance could be aimed at (away from institution building):
Strategies and Measures for the sustainable use of target stocks
Strategies and Measures for the protection of non-target species affected
by fishing, and for protection of the marine environment
Ecosystem analysis and protection, including work on climate change
Compliance with measures, possibly based on implementation of the FFA
Regional MCS Strategy by Pacific SIDS
Should also consider:
Targeting smaller PAC SIDS struggling to participate at WCPFC (AR
2007 & Mid-term Review)
Linkages with Indonesia and the Philippines

Developing a Concept
Attention of higher regional level (FFC, HOFs etc) &
possibility to raise this at special FFC68 net week
GEF processes (outlined p.6 & Attachment B) but
should appreciate that there are some unknown
factors concerning GEF5 for which there are
currently no answers e.g.
- Whether RAF (Resource Allocation
Framework) will extend to all GEF Focal Areas
- How this will work for IW LMEs
- How it will affect the allocation under IW for Pac
SIDS

Other issues
West Pacific-East Asia Oceanic Fisheries
Management Project (WPEA)
- Administered by the WCPFC Sec for Indonesia,
Philippines & Vietnam
- improve knowledge of oceanic fish stocks &
ecosystems & strengthen national capacities in
OFM
- Funding sourced from GEF Council approved
(April 2008) support programme for USD 72m for
"Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs,
Fisheries & Food Security (CTI-CFF)

CTI-CFF
Development phase two meetings, one
recently in Honiara
6 countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, PNG,
Philippines, Solomon Is & Timor-L'este). Poss
inclusion of more countries
ADB Implementing Agency

RSC4 is invited to:
i.
note the emphasis on sustainable fish stocks and
ecosystems results and their contributions towards global
environment concerns as underpinning the rationale for
GEF assistance;
ii.
discuss the merits of the potential to seek assistance from
GEF for a further phase of the OFM Project;
iii.
note emerging initiatives and other issues that need to be
taken into account in the design of a further phase; and
iv.
forward to the special FFC68 for consideration
recommendations concerning the possibility of a further
phase of assistance from GEF after 2010.