The Workshop Meeting agreed that due to the extremely serious nature of fishing overcapacity and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Asian region, all APFIC members should, as a matter of urgency, begin implementing the following "call for action", noting that:
Key messages to policy makers and Government are that:
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The workshop recognized that the following considerations relating to responsible fishing need to be included in any actions:
1. Socio-economic considerations should be central to any action
2. NPOAs, as developed by some countries, can be a very effective tool providing that they are:
3. Capacity management in many situations will benefit from the allocation of clear user/access rights
Translating paper policy and agreements into concrete action will require:
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1This RPOA was endorsed by the Ministers responsible for fisheries from Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam, during the "Regional Ministerial Meeting on Promoting Responsible Fishing Practices including Combating IUU Fishing in the Region" held in Bali, Indonesia, on 4 May, 2007.