Submitted by
Glemetr
on Wed, 08/24/2022 - 18:04
General Information
Resolution
49233
Period covered
Activities to implement this Resolution from Activity Reports
| Relevant operative para(s) of Res/Rec | Activities Overview | Description | Status | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity building | The Plan Ocean team, who also work closely with veterinary universities, are providing capacity building for veterinarians and university students to enable them to conduct necropsies and understand pathologies typically affecting NRFPs and other cetaceans. | On-going | Full activity report | |
| Convene stakeholders/Networking | The key proponents and coordinators of the Resolution, now working through the NGO Plan Ocean, have followed up on two virtual conferences held in 2021 and 2022 to form a cross-sectorial working group involving researchers, NGOs, and policymakers from Korea, China, and Japan. The working group has thematic subgroups addressing different aspects of research, policy making, public awareness and education. Online and in-person meetings are planned throughout the rest of 2023. | On-going | Full activity report | |
| Education/Communication/Raising awareness | Plan Ocean is working with coastal fishing communities in the South and Western seas of Korea to conduct interviews and gather important local ecological knowledge on their interactions with NRFP, while also educating them about the important role that cetaceans play in keeping coastal ecosystems in balance. | On-going | Full activity report | |
| Policy influencing/advocacy | Korean stakeholders are collaborating with policy makers to assess the feasibility of designating new protected areas for NRFP. | On-going | Full activity report | |
| Scientific/technical activities | Fisheries gear developers working with the National Institute of Fisheries Science, a science-oriented subsidiary under the Ministry of Fisheries in Korea are designing and testing porpoise excluder devices that are installed on stow nets - the gear most responsible for finless porpoise bycatch. The results of initial trials were presented to the meeting of the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission in April/May, 2023. The same team is testing the effectiveness of acoustic deterrents (pingers) on stownets to reduce bycatch. Plan Ocean is collaborating with Universities and other research teams to conduct line transect surveys, augmented by the use of drones, to assess distribution and abundance of narrow-ridged finless porpoises (NRFP). They have also collaborated with the relevant government authorities to gain access to NRFP carcasses and conduct necropsies. The majority of examined carcasses bore signs of death caused by suffocation/drowning due to entanglement in fishing gear. The necropsies also revealed microplastics and BPA in the GI tracts and the presence of DDTs and PCBs. Finally the team is also using underwater video to try and monitor porpoise behaviour around stownets to better understand how excluder devices are working and/or could be improved. | On-going | Full activity report | |
| Convene stakeholders/Networking | Two meetings have been held to promote regional collaboration between a wide range of stakeholders. The first was held virtually on November 25th, 2020. It was organised and hosted by the Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and WWF Korea. This meeting included participation from scientists and policy makers from Japan and China, as well as scientists from around the world with expertise in bycatch reduction. The second meeting was held on September 23rd, 2022. It was a hybrid conference, hosted at the Chungcheongnam do Provincial Government, organised by Osan University and funded by the Ministry of Fisheries, Republic of Korea. This second meeting had both in-person participation from regional stakeholders and online participation from speakers around the world. Participants included scientists, policy makers, and representatives of Civil Society Organisations. Presentations ranged from technical presentations on ongoing Narrow-ridged finless porpoise (NRFP) population and status assessments in different range countries and bycatch mitigation trials, to presentations focusing on increasing public awareness and support for conserving the species and reducing bycatch. Discussions included the importance of range countries fulfilling the actions recommended in Resolution 094 as well as the additional incentive to reduce NRFP bycatch presented by the United States Marine Mammal Protection Act Import Ruling. The organisers of this second conference intend to build on the momentum of the conference by inviting regional stakeholders to form a Working Group that will focus on implementing the resolution. The IUCN SSC Cetacean Specialist Group supported the organisation and delivery of both meetings, and has had regular meetings with the Korean Member Focal Point for Motion 094, who has lead the efforts to organise both conferences and to form the regional working group. | On-going | Full activity report |
Actors involved from Activity Reports
| IUCN Members | IUCN Commissions | IUCN Secretariat | Other non-IUCN related organisations |
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Challenges / lessons learned from Activity Reports
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External link(s)
Report status
Published
I. IUCN Constituencies implementing this Resolution
IUCN Members
Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Republic of Korea ( Republic of Korea )
IUCN Commissions
IUCN Species Survival Commission 2021-2025
IUCN Secretariat
No
Other non-IUCN related organisations
Osan University
II. Implementation
Activities carried out to implement this Resolution
Convene stakeholders/Networking
Policy influencing/advocacy
Describe the results/achievements of the activities
Two meetings have been held to promote regional collaboration between a wide range of stakeholders. The first was held virtually on November 25th, 2020. It was organised and hosted by the Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and WWF Korea. This meeting included participation from scientists and policy makers from Japan and China, as well as scientists from around the world with expertise in bycatch reduction. The second meeting was held on September 23rd, 2022. It was a hybrid conference, hosted at the Chungcheongnam do Provincial Government, organised by Osan University and funded by the Ministry of Fisheries, Republic of Korea. This second meeting had both in-person participation from regional stakeholders and online participation from speakers around the world. Participants included scientists, policy makers, and representatives of Civil Society Organisations. Presentations ranged from technical presentations on ongoing Narrow-ridged finless porpoise (NRFP) population and status assessments in different range countries and bycatch mitigation trials, to presentations focusing on increasing public awareness and support for conserving the species and reducing bycatch. Discussions included the importance of range countries fulfilling the actions recommended in Resolution 094 as well as the additional incentive to reduce NRFP bycatch presented by the United States Marine Mammal Protection Act Import Ruling. The organisers of this second conference intend to build on the momentum of the conference by inviting regional stakeholders to form a Working Group that will focus on implementing the resolution. The IUCN SSC Cetacean Specialist Group supported the organisation and delivery of both meetings, and has had regular meetings with the Korean Member Focal Point for Motion 094, who has lead the efforts to organise both conferences and to form the regional working group.These two meetings have created vital links and inspired ongoing dialogue between government agencies, scientists, and civil society organisations in the three narrow-ridged finless porpoise range countries. The knowledge exchanged in 2020 helped to catalyse more research into population status and trends, as well as trialling of porpoise excluder devices on the fishing gears that are associated with the highest levels of porpoise bycatch. Stakeholders involved in these meetings are also working within each range country to raise public awareness and institutional support for bycatch reduction. This public awareness will be critical if any market-based incentives to reduce bycatch are to be trialled.
Challenges/obstacles encountered in the implementation of this Resolution and measures taken
The range country stakeholders report that in China the Chinese White Dolphin and the Yangtze finless porpoise receive greater attention from both the government agencies responsible for conservation and the general public. They are working to raise the profile of NRFP as well.
Future actions / activities needed for the implementation of this Resolution
Convene stakeholders/Networking: A regional multi-stakeholder working group will be formed to focus on implementing the different elements of Resolution 094.
Education/Communication/Raising awareness: The group based in Osan University has plans and funding to engage in education and awareness raising activities in Korea.
Scientific/technical activities: Ongoing research to monitor populations of narrow-ridged finless porpoises.
Education/Communication/Raising awareness: The group based in Osan University has plans and funding to engage in education and awareness raising activities in Korea.
Scientific/technical activities: Ongoing research to monitor populations of narrow-ridged finless porpoises.
Are these actions/activities planned?
Yes
III. Status of implementation
Implementation status of this Resolution
Initiated: first stages of implementation