The marine areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) - our Common Oceans - include some highly complex ecosystems, which are subject to negative impacts from a variety of sectors including shipping, pollution and illegal fishing. Addressing such impacts is compounded by problems in coordinating, disseminating and building capacity for best practices and in capitalizing on successful experiences – especially those related to the management of fisheries in ABNJ.

The high seas represent nearly 50% of the planet's surface, and the health of our planet depends on the state of the ocean. In June 2018, the Nausicaa Centre National de la Mer organised the 1st International Meeting of the High Seas, with support provided by the Common Oceans ABNJ Capacity Project.

The Workshop’s main objective was to exchange information among the tuna RFMO Secretariats and with other experts on data management and reporting for compliance, and explore the scope for cooperation and rationalizing work processes in this area. In addition, the Workshop provided space for discussion of other topics of relevance to officers responsible for compliance, such as developments in compliance assessment procedures, transshipment, and initiatives to identify best practices in fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS).

The workshop is part of the effort to introduce the BMIS to potential users and demonstrate its utility in supporting science-based fisheries management. It was designed to work through various bycatch issues using the BMIS, SPC resources, and participants’ national fisheries knowledge and experience.

The objective of the workshop was to enhance collective understanding of the options and challenges in analysing seabird bycatch data. This meeting is part of the seabird bycatch component of the CO project and was convened as part of the process of achieving the overall goals of the project