November 3, 2020 — The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) has extended the suspension of total fisheries observer coverage in the region until February 2021, amid the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.
In a circular memo dated 22 October, WCPFCC Chair Jung-re Riley Kim stated that the commission and its members agreed to suspend the requirements for observer coverage on purse-seine vessels until 15 February. The suspension of observer coverage was supposed to expire on 31 October, but the commission decided to extend it due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.