22nd Regular Session of the Commission: Full Annotated Agenda

Commission Chair, Dr. Josie M. Tamate (Niue) will call the meeting to order and invite the Commission to adopt the Provisional Agenda.  

The Commission may discuss and confirm the establishment of small working groups to progress work on certain agenda items throughout the week.   

The Secretariat will share information on relevant meeting arrangements to support WCPFC22, including registration, audio/visual facilities, morning and afternoon tea breaks, lunches, and side events scheduled during the week.

The Secretariat will present a report on the implementation of the Strategic Investment Plan in 2025 and the updated Strategic Investment Plan for consideration by the Commission.

The Secretariat and WPEA-ITM SPF Project Coordinator will present an update of the project activities in 2025, including the project status and expected activities in 2026. 

The Government of New Zealand, as the Depositary of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Convention, will report on the status of the Convention (to be taken as read). 

An updated list of organizations and States with current observer status to the Commission is maintained on the WCPFC website.   

The Commission will review TCC21’s recommendations with respect to applications for Cooperating Non-Member Status and determine which applicants will have CNM status for 2026. 

The Northern Committee Chair, Masa Miyahara (Japan), will report the outcomes and recommendations from the 21st Northern Committee that took place on 14-15 July 2025 in Toyama City, Japan. 

The northern stocks covered by the Northern Committee Report are Pacific bluefin tuna, North Pacific albacore tuna, and North Pacific swordfish. Any NC21 outcomes requiring further discussion by the Commission at WCPFC22 will be taken up under the relevant agenda item, or under this agenda item.

The Scientific Committee Chair, Emily Crigler (USA), will report the outcomes and recommendations from the 21st Scientific Committee that took place from 13-21 August 2025 in Nuku’alofa, Tonga.

Any SC21 outcomes requiring further discussion by the Commission at WCPFC22 will be taken up under the relevant agenda item, or under this agenda item.

The Technical and Compliance Committee Chair, Mat Kertesz (Australia), will report the outcomes and recommendations from the 21st Technical and Compliance Committee that took place from 23-30 September 2025 in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia.

Any TCC21 outcomes requiring further discussion by the Commission at WCPFC22 will be taken up under the relevant agenda item, or under this agenda item.

The Chair of the FAD Management Options Intersessional Working Group (FADMO IWG), Jamel James (FSM), will report on the FADMO IWG’s work in 2025. 

The Commission will also consider the FADMO IWG workplan for 2026 and decide on any necessary adjustments, including any outcomes and recommendations from the subsidiary bodies or future taskings agreed to at WCPFC22. 

The Chair of the Regional Observer Programme Intersessional Working Group (ROP-IWG), Lucas Tarapik (PNG), will report on the ROP-IWG’s work in 2025.

The Commission will consider the ROP-IWG workplan for 2026 and decide on any necessary adjustments, including any recommendations from the subsidiary bodies.

The Interim Chair of the Electronic Reporting and Electronic Monitoring Intersessional Working Group (ER&EM IWG), Lesley Hawn (USA), will report on the ER&EM IWG’s work in 2025. 

The ER&EM IWG Workplan does not schedule any decisions to be taken by the Commission in 2025. The Commission may consider whether to progress the ER&EM IWG’s work at WCPFC22.

The Commission will consider the ER&EM WG workplan for 2026 and decide on any necessary adjustments, including any recommendations from the subsidiary bodies.

The South Pacific Albacore Roadmap IWG did not meet in 2025. The Commission’s decision at WCPFC21 (2024) to convene South Pacific Albacore Management workshops in 2025 is reflected in the IWG’s 2025 workplan. Reports from the South Pacific Albacore Management workshops convened in 2025 will be taken up under Agenda Item 11.1.2.  

The Commission may wish to consider any required adjustments to the IWG’s 2026 workplan, pending outcomes of discussions under Agenda Item 11.1 at WCPFC22.

TCC21 considered the outcomes of the intersessional work to develop HSBI voluntary guides and made a recommendation to the Commission to adopt the voluntary guides at WCPFC22. 

The Chair of the intersessional process to develop voluntary guides for the WCPFC High Seas Boarding and Inspection (HSBI) Scheme, David Power (Australia), will provide additional information, as necessary, on the intersessional work undertaken in 2025.

The Chair of the intersessional process to review CMM 2017-02 on port State measures, Meli Raicebe (Fiji), will report on outcomes of the intersessional review in 2025.

Based on the port State measures workplan for 2025, the Commission may consider whether to progress discussions at WCPFC22. 

The Commission may also consider continuation of intersessional work to review CMM 2017-02 in 2026.

The Commission will consider information and updates relating to its management of the South Pacific Albacore Fishery. Substantive discussions relating to management of South Pacific albacore will take place under 11.1.1 to 11.1.4.

The Commission will consider the following issues relating to its review of CMM 2023-01:

i.    an evaluation of the effectiveness of CMM 2023-01: (tropical tunas), prepared by the SSP.

ii.   implementation of increased monitoring coverage (by human observers or EM) associated with the increases in BET catch as part of Attachment 1, Table 3 of CMM 2023-01.

iii.  consideration of a plan for reviewing CMM 2023-01 in 2026, pending the outcomes of discussions under Agenda Item 11.3 on the skipjack MP and Agenda Item 11.8 on the Harvest Strategy Workplan, noting that the CMM expires on 5 February 2027. 

iv.   outcome of the Commission’s discussions at WCPFC20 related to the development of allocation frameworks for tropical tunas and its agreement to a phased approach to the development of criteria for allocation, elements of an allocation framework, and implementation of the frameworks, commencing in 2026 (see paragraph 567 of the WCPFC20 Summary Report_Rev01).

SC21 accepted the 2025 skipjack stock assessment results and considered that at this early stage, the skipjack MP is performing as expected. 

The Commission will review the updates relating to the skipjack MP and monitoring strategy, and consider any taskings to SC22 and TCC22 in 2026. 

The Commission will review its plans to adopt a Management Procedure and a target reference point (TRP) for bigeye tuna, consistent with its Harvest Strategy Workplan (see Attachment 16 of the WCPFC21 Summary Report).

The Commission will also review the BET Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) framework and advise on MP settings, assumptions, and performance indicators, as recommended by SC21.

The Commission will review its progress on development of the YFT harvest strategy, noting the proposed mixed fishery harvest strategy framework. The Commission will also review a plan to adopt a TRP. 

The Commission will consider an Indicative Workplan for Developing a Southwest Pacific Swordfish Harvest Strategy, as recommended by SC21 in response to a tasking from WCPFC21 (see paras 458 to 460 of WCPFC21 Summary Report.) 

The Commission will review and update its Harvest Strategy Workplan and may consider a mechanism for enabling management advice to inform harvest strategy development during the intersessional period between annual Commission meetings.

Taking into account discussions under agenda items 11.2, 11.4, and 11.5, the Commission will discuss a way forward on the implementation of the mixed fishery approach under the harvest strategy framework, including any outcomes from SC21.

The Commission will review a proposal from New Zealand on CMM 2018-03, which was tasked at WCPFC21 for consideration at WCPFC22, alongside advice from SC21 and TCC21. (see para 552 of WCPFC21 Summary Report).

An update on the status of implementation of CMM 2018-04 will be provided for consideration by the Commission, in addition to any advice from SC21 and TCC21 relating to sea turtles. No decisions are expected by the Commission for 2025, however, the Commission will take note that at WCPFC21, it agreed to review and revise CMM 2018-04 in 2026 (see para 204 of WCPFC21 Summary Report).

The Commission will review advice and recommendations from TCC21 relating to the effectiveness of the alternatives and changes to Annex 2 of CMM 2024-05 (see para 619 of WCPFC21 Summary Report). The Commission will also review a paper tasked by TCC21 to be prepared by the TCC Chair in consultation with the Secretariat for the Commission’s consideration on how the review of the AR Part 2 information related to CCMs implementation of alternative measures set out in paragraph 9 of CMM 2024-05 can be completed at future TCC meetings during plenary sessions.

The Commission will review advice from SC21 on appropriate requirements for effective reporting on cetacean interactions with tuna and associated species fisheries in the Convention area (see para 669 of WCPFC21 Summary Report), and any advice from TCC21 based on the Annual Report of the Regional Observer Programme (ROP) (see para 8 of CMM 2024-07).
In response to the WCPFC21 request (para 668, WCPFC21 Report), the Commission will note that the IWC, in collaboration with the SSP, WCPFC Secretariat, and other WCPO stakeholders, will provide a Cetacean Identification Guide for the Pacific Ocean to support the implementation of CMM 2024-07.