PACIFIC ISLANDS REGIONAL PLAN OF ACTION FOR SHARKS: Guidance for Pacific Island Countries and Territories on the Conservation and Management of Sharks

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Pacific Fisheries

The decision to develop a Regional Plan of Action on Sharks (PI-RPOA Sharks) for Pacific island countries and territories (PICTs)1 was a response to:
· the requirement for management of sharks2 in their national waters to be compatible with measures adopted by them as members/participating territories of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC);
· their broader commitment to ensuring the sustainable management of sharks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) in line with the objectives of the International Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks (IPOA Sharks) (FAO, 2000a) and their obligations under various international conventions and treaties; and
· the recent decision by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) to include sharks in its marine species programme.