Log in

You will be redirected to IUCN Accounts to input your credentials. After log in you will be redirected back to this site.

Rest assured your personal data resides with IUCN and IUCN only. For more information please review our Data policy.

WCC 2020 Rec 094 - Activity Report

Submitted by Gianna.MINTON on Thu, 06/15/2023 - 06:53
General Information
Safeguarding the Endangered narrow-ridged finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis) in the Yellow Sea
IUCN Constituent: 
IUCN SSC Cetacean Specialist Group 2021-2025
IUCN Constituent type: 
IUCN Species Survival Commission 2021-2025
Period covered: 
2022
Geographic scope: 
East Europe, North and Central Asia
Country/Territory: 
China
Japan
Korea (RK)
In implementing this Resolution your organization has worked/consulted with...
IUCN Members: 
Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Republic of Korea ( MOF ) / Korea (RK)
IUCN Commissions: 
No Commissions are/have been involved
IUCN Secretariat: 
Yes
Other non-IUCN related organisations: 
The main proponents and coordinators of the implementation of this resolution are scientists in Korea who have formed a new NGO called Plan Ocean. We also consulted with fisheries gear developers working with the government to addressing bycatch mitigation.
Implementation
Indicate and briefly describe any actions that have been carried out to implement this Resolution: 
ActionDescriptionStatus
Capacity-buildingThe 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
Convene stakeholders/NetworkingThe 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
Education/Communication/Raising awarenessPlan 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
Policy influencing/advocacyKorean stakeholders are collaborating with policy makers to assess the feasibility of designating new protected areas for NRFP.On-going
Scientific/technical activitiesFisheries 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
Please report on the result /achievement of the actions taken: 
Over the past two years, the main proponents of the resolution who are coordinating implementation have mobilized and motivated national stakeholders in Korea, as well as regional and international stakeholders in Japan and China and beyond to focus more time and resources on understanding and addressing the unsustainably high levels of bycatch occurring in trawlnet/stownet fisheries. This increased awareness is motivating discussions on the creation of additional protected areas and the development and testing of bycatch reduction strategies.
What challenges have you encountered in implementing this Resolution and what measures have you taken to overcome them?: 
The main proponents and coordinators of implementation of this resolution need more funds to be able to implement the different elements of their strategy. As a newly formed NGO they have few staff members and resources, but luckily have full approval and backing from the Ministry of Fisheries.
Identify and briefly describe what future actions are planned for the implementation of this Resolution: 
Future ActionDescription
Convene stakeholders/NetworkingContinued cross-sectorial stakeholder meetings at local, national, regional and international levels, drawing on support from the IUCN SSC Cetacean Specialist Group and the International Whaling Commission, among others.
Policy influencing/advocacyCollaborating with relevant stakeholders to create protected areas in core NRFP habitas, and to improve fisheries policies to reduce bycatch.
Scientific/technical activitiesContinued line transect and drone research, necropsies on porpoise carcasses, and testing of bycatch mitigation strategies.