Concept Note for the GEF-7 Child Project on "Global Coordination for the Common Oceans ABNJ Program" (the Global Coordination Project).

Far from land, outside national boundaries, marine Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction or common oceans make up 40% of our planet. They hold 95% of our oceans’ water, and host some of the world’s most complex ecosystems. Ecosystems that help control climate, boost food security and help people make a living. Using common oceans resources sustainably and responsibly is challenging, but achievable. With the Global Environmental Fund’s support, FAO’s Common Oceans Programme is working with a wide range of partners to sustainably use and protect these fragile marine ecosystems.

Deep Sea Fisheries (DSF) occur at great depths in the Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ) and constitute a small fraction of global fisheries; however, DSF are often highly valuable, generating up to USD 620 million annually. Interest in deep sea species has led to concerns about their enhanced vulnerability as a result of increased fishing activities and the potential damage caused by bottom contact fishing gears to fragile benthic ecosystems like coral reefs and sponge grounds. Although significant progress has been made in promoting sustainable DSF and protecting biodiversity in the ABNJ, the pace and scope of management measures and scientific understanding needs to be expanded, given the known vulnerability of deep sea fish stocks, associated bycatch species and habitats. Greater international and consumer pressure, as well as raised awareness and readiness for action among stakeholders, are now creating favourable conditions for acting decisively in support of the implementation of relevant policy and legal frameworks that are strengthening spatial planning and control measures, including the improved protection of sensitive areas such as vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs). The main objective of this project one of four projects making up the Global Environment Facility financed Program on Global Sustainable Fisheries Management and Biodiversity Conservation in ABNJ was to achieve efficiency and sustainability in the use of deep sea living resources and improving biodiversity conservation in the ABNJ. It aimed to achieve this through the systematic application of an ecosystem approach to: ( i ) improving sustainable management practices for DSF, taking into account the impacts on related ecosystems, (ii) improving the protection of VMEs and enhanced conservation and management of components of ecologically and biologically significant areas and (iii) testing area based planning tools for deep sea ecosystems.

The Common Oceans ABNJ Program brought together global stakeholders and partners to promote the sustainable use of fisheries and the protection of marine biodiversity in the ABNJ. The Program, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), involved the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Bank Group (WBG), as well as Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) and other intergovernmental organizations, national governments, the private sector, civil society and academia. This report presents the results obtained by the Common Oceans ABNJ Program between 2014-2019. It highlights the value, importance and benefits of sustainably managing fisheries and biodiversity conservation in the ABNJ, and how the collateral impact of fishing is less harmful to the marine environment now than when the program started out in 2014.

Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a serious threat to sustainable fisheries, marine ecosystems and the livelihoods of legitimate fishers globally. To address it, the Common Oceans ABNJ Tuna Project is exploring ways to strengthen and harmonize the use of monitoring, control and surveillance tools, and combat IUU fishing in tuna fisheries across the marine areas beyond national jurisdiction. One tool is the use of electronic monitoring systems to monitor individual vessel operations at sea. In a typical electronic monitoring application, cameras, recording video or still images, are deployed at key points on the vessel to allow a view of the fishing operation. The video footage is stored on hard drives that government officials can use to review compliance with regulations, as well as record detailed data on catch and effort. It was envisaged that industry would have access to these data for its own operational purposes.To test the best way to incorporate this technology as complementary compliance tool, two pilot trials were set up: one in Ghana to cover the domestic tuna purse seine fleet fishing; and one in Fiji to cover the domestic longline fisheries. Close collaboration was established between national governments and industry for implementation.The overall aim of the pilots was to develop an effective implementation process at the national level, so that the information could be properly utilized for compliance purposes. This report documents the successful completion of these trials, and the lessons learned that could benefit electronic monitoring programmes elsewhere.