E - Iccat

OPENING ADDRESSES & STATEMENTS
With regard to the approach for improving the organization of Commission meeting, we note that both the
Chairman’s and the U.S. suggestions have some merit. From our experience in attending the Commission
meeting, every year the last day of the meeting is quite a state of chaos with the inflow of amended and new
proposals and there is hardly any time for thorough discussions. We also hope that there will be time for
informal discussions or drafting sessions to avoid entering into a debate in the plenary. However, it is important
that we not be excluded from such informal sessions.
In addition, Chinese Taipei has an important fishing fleet that has been operating for more than 30 years in the
Convention area, and it is not eligible to become an ICCAT member even though it has great intention to
become one. Its views and experiences offered in at appropriate times will contribute to the work of the
Commission. I appreciate the kind consideration of the Commission to make special arrangement so that Chinese
Taipei can be seated at a location close enough to the conference table to be noticeable by the Chair and be
invited to speak on all fisheries issues of interest at any time. I would like to extend my thanks to all of you, and
particularly the Commission Chairman, for his efforts and thoughtfulness in the arrangements.
As members of the Commission are aware, Chinese Taipei and Japan have been cooperating with each other in
implementing a joint program to combat and eliminate IUU fishing activities. I can say that so far the result is
prominent. Japan has scrapped 42 ex-Japanese IUU/FOC large-scale tuna longline vessels and we have reregistered
45 IUU/FOC tuna longline vessels newly built in our shipyards. In addition, under the joint efforts
between Japan and Chinese Taipei, in cooperation with Vanuatu and Seychelles, special arrangements have been
made to legitimize 69 IUU/FOC large-scale tuna longliners. Practically speaking, the IUU/FOC vessels built
within the recent five years have been almost eliminated. Among the ex-IUU vessels, 26 vessels were operating
in the Atlantic Ocean, including 13 scrapped and 13 re-registered. Scrapping of the 13 vessels will reduce the
catch by some 3,250 t of tuna (estimated catch of 250 t per vessel, as suggested by Japan; see pp. 292 ICCAT
Report 2002-2003 (I) Appendix 1 to ANNEX 12, Report by Japan on the Current Situation of IUU LSTLVs) and
the re-registering of the 13 vessels will enable bringing these vessels under proper control and their catches will
be regulated and reported by our government. From the above description, the Commission should be glad to
hear that we have nearly achieved such a goal. However, the implementation of this joint program has caused a
temporary increase in the size of our fleet. We hope the Commission will consider an increase in the catch limit
of tuna to accommodate such an adjustment, since the present catch limit to be shared among the legitimately
licensed vessels is already too low for the fleet to be viable. We will raise this issue at an appropriate time during
the meeting.
Taking this opportunity, I would like to pay my special tribute to Dr Lima, who will be retiring as Executive
Secretary, for his excellent performance and impartiality during his office. I wish him all the best in his
retirement. The Commission will be electing a new Executive Secretary. I hope the new Executive Secretary will
do his best to continue in the footsteps of his predecessor to achieve the objective of the Commission. Finally I
wish you all a very successful meeting.
Philippines
On behalf of the Government of the Philippines, I would like to express the pleasure to participate in this 18 th
Regular Meeting of ICCAT. I would also like to express our thanks to the Government of Ireland and
particularly to the Authorities and the people of Dublin for their hospitality.
The Government of the Republic of the Philippines is committed to the sustainable development and
management of fishery resources, wherever oceans they are found as evidenced of our being a Cooperating non-
Contracting Party to ICCAT and IOTC, as well as signatory to the Convention on the Conservation of Highly
Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western Pacific and Central Pacific. Moreover, just very recently we have also
applied for Cooperating non-Contracting Party status to the Commission for the Conservation of Southern
Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT). We would like to inform you that the Senate of the Philippines just very recently
approved the accession of the Philippines to ICCAT and IOTC.
The Philippines since 1998, even before it was granted Cooperating non-Contracting Party Status, has
endeavored to comply with all the requirements of ICCAT, particularly in the provision of statistical
information, on catches and participated in various Commission meetings and has honored its commitments to
comply with the conservation and management measures adopted by the Commission.
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