Proposal for Joint APEC/IUCN Workshop for Improving the Conservation and Management Of

______2008/FWG19/021 Agenda item: 7

Proposal for Joint APEC/IUCN Workshop for Improving the Conservation and Management of Sharks in the Eastern Pacific (FWG 01/2006T)

Purpose: Consideration Submitted by: United States

19th Fisheries Working Group Meeting Piura, Peru 14-17 April 2008 Proposal for Joint APEC/IUCN Workshop for Improving the Conservation and Management of Sharks in the Eastern Pacific

Issue  FWG approval is requested to reprogram funds for APEC FWG Project 01/2006T – “ Improving the Conservation and Management of Sharks in the APEC Region” to develop a regional shark identification field guide and support technical training and presentations for science capacity building during a Regional Joint Workshop co-hosted by APEC, IUCN, the Government of Ecuador, and the United States.

 Because effective shark conservation and management in the APEC region and neighboring shark fishing nations in the Eastern Pacific suffers from a lack of robust fisheries and trade data and management capacity, science capacity building and technical presentations by APEC economy experts at a joint workshop held in Ecuador will help ensure fisheries and trade in shark resources of the Eastern Pacific are sustainable on a regional scale.

 The goals of the APEC portion of the joint workshop will be to provide effective science-based products and training that will improve fisheries data and management capacity in the region. In addition, APEC participation in a Joint APEC/IUCN Workshop with other shark fishing nations will provide a forum for information exchange and foster regional cooperation among nations that share transboundary shark stocks.

Background  APEC has repeatedly called for sustainable development of the region’s fisheries resources APEC FWG Project 01/2006T responded to calls in the Seoul Oceans Declaration to: (1) facilitate, through exchange of information, effective regional implementation of global fisheries instruments in achieving responsible fisheries and sustainable aquaculture; and, (2) strengthen cooperation to promote responsible trade in fishery products through, inter alia, APEC's TILF initiatives.  TILF funding was chosen for this project because implementation of sustainable shark fisheries will prevent CITES-imposed restrictions on trade in threatened or endangered shark species. This will permit continued and eventually enhanced trade in these species, consistent with TILF funding objectives.  The project was originally slated to provide the second step towards building APEC capacity to implement the FAO International Plan of Action for shark conservation and management by responding to regional interest in implementing the manual for shark conservation and management that was produced by APEC Project FWG 01/2001T.  The original project outputs were to perform needs assessments in the focal economies of Chile, Peru, and Mexico to help design national plans of action (NPOA). However, since the approval of the project, each of these economies have already independently developed NPOA’s leaving the goals of original project outdated.

Key Question for Economies to Consider

- Does your economy support reprogramming of the TILF Budget for APEC FWG Project 01/2006T for science capacity building and APEC participation in regional joint workshop in Ecuador?

ANNEX 1: Joint APEC/IUCN Workshop Proposal

APEC Science Products, Technical Training, and Presentations: 1. Introduction, training, and electronic distribution of the Spanish translation of the APEC/FAO Shark Manual -Facilitates the key objective of providing a scientific basis for national and regional shark conservation and management development.

2 2. Publishing, distribution, and presentation of a Regional Shark Identification Field Guide - Satisfying another key objective of the original proposal of improving fisheries catch data for species specific stock assessments. 3. Presentation on molecular techniques for shark conservation and management. - Current molecular techniques will improve sustainable trade in shark products by providing fisheries managers, scientists, and trade sectors new conservation, management, and monitoring tools. 4. Presentations of APEC NPOA’s and Regional Shark Fisheries Issues. - To increase the regional impact of the joint workshop, national fisheries experts from Peru, Mexico, and Chile will give presentations on that status of implementing their nation’s NPOA and share lessons learned in shark conservation and management. This dialogue among APEC and non-member nations will provide an important forum for ‘needs assessment’ of shark conservation and management in the Eastern Pacific on a truly regional scale.

Proposed Workshop Dates: July 3rd – 6th, 2008

Proposed Location: Manta, Ecuador

Co-Hosts: APEC, IUCN, Ecuador, and U.S.