GIWA - Global International Waters Assessment

Major intergovernmental agreements and actors

Convention for the Conservation of Anadromous Stocks in the North Pacific Ocean
The Convention was signed in 1992 and entered into force in 1993. The objective of the Convention is to promote the conservation of anadromous stocks in the Convention Area. Contracting Parties are Canada, Japan, the Russian Federation, and the United States. The Convention Area covers the waters of the North Pacific Ocean and its adjacent seas, north of 33 degrees North Latitude beyond 200-miles zones of the coastal States. Species covered by the Convention are Chum salmon, Coho salmon, Pink salmon, Sockeye salmon, Chinook salmon, Cherry salmon, and Steelhead trout. According to the Convention, directed fishing for anadromous fish in the Convention Area is prohibited. The North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission (NPAFC) is the executive body of the Convention. The Parties to the Convention cooperate in the conduct of scientific research under the NPAFC Science Plan.

North Pacific Marine Science Organization, PICES
PICES is an intergovernmental scientific organization. It was established in 1992 and its present members are Canada, People's Republic of China, Japan, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, and the United States of America. The purposes of PICES are to promote and coordinate marine research in the northern North Pacific and adjacent seas especially northward of 30 degrees North; to advance scientific knowledge about the ocean environment, global weather and climate change, living resources and their ecosystems, and the impacts of human activities; and to promote the collection and rapid exchange of scientific information on these issues.

North Pacific Fishery Management Council, NPFMC
The NPFMC is one of eight regional councils established by the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act in 1976 to oversee management of the nation's fisheries. With jurisdiction over the 900,000 square mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off Alaska, the Council has primary responsibility for groundfish management in the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, including cod, pollock, flatfish, mackerel, sablefish, and rockfish species. The Council also makes allocative and limited entry decisions for halibut, though the International Pacific Halibut Commission. Other large Alaska fisheries such as salmon, crab and herring are managed primarily by the State of Alaska.

UNEP Regional Seas Programme
The Regional Seas Programme was initiated in 1974 as a global programme implemented through regional components. The Regional Seas Programme is UNEP's main framework in the field of the coastal and marine environment. It includes 14 regions and three partner seas, involves more than 140 coastal states, and focuses on sustainable development of coastal and marine areas. Each regional action plan is formulated according to the needs and priorities of the region as perceived by the Governments concerned. Regional conventions are in place for several areas. See a map of all regional seas, and go to more information on the Black Sea, Wider Caribbean, Mediterranean, East Asian Seas, South Asian Seas, Eastern Africa, Kuwait Region, North West Pacific, Red Sea And Gulf of Aden, South East Pacific, North East Pacific, South Pacific, Upper South West Atlantic, and West and Central Africa. The UNEP Regional Seas web site also contains information on What's at stake, Major threats, and Actions.

North Pacific Marine Research Programme
Dedicated to scientific research in the Bering Sea and adjacent waters, with the goal of developing a better understanding of oceanic and ecological systems. NPMR is administered by the School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks.

a global environmental assessment process, the GEO Process, that is cross-sectoral and participatory. It incorporates regional views and perceptions, and builds consensus on priority issues and actions through dialogue among policy-makers and scientists at regional and global levels.
GEO outputs, in printed and electronic formats, including the GEO Report series. This series makes periodic reviews of the state of the world's environment, and provides guidance for decision-making processes such as the formulation of environmental policies, action planning and resource allocation. Other outputs include technical reports, a web site and a publication for young people.

Bering and North Pacific Ocean Theme Page, NOOA
An information resource for the scientific investigation of the biology, oceanography, meteorology and ecology of the Bering Sea and North Pacific Ocean. Here one finds, e.g., an Environmental Atlas for the Bering Sea and the North Pacific Ocean.

East Bering Sea - a Large Marine Ecosystem (LME)
A Large Marine Ecosystem, LME, is a "region of ocean space encompassing coastal areas from river basins and estuaries to the seaward boundary of continental shelves and the seaward margins of coastal current systems. It is a relatively large region characterized by distinct bathymetry, hydrography, productivity, and trophically dependent populations." See also Rhode Island University map of LMEs.