Report on The Project Steering Committee Meeting Windsor Suites, Bangkok, May 13, 2013

Abstract

The REBYC‐II CTI project is aiming to contribute to the more sustainable use of fisheries resources and healthier marine ecosystems in the Coral Triangle and Southeast Asia waters by reducing bycatch, discards and fishing impact by trawl fisheries. It is executed by the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC), based in Bangkok, Thailand, and the governments in the participating countries Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam in partnership with the private sector and relevant national, regional and international organizations. SEAFDEC is hosting the Regional Facilitation Unit (RFU) to which the PRC is attached. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is the Global Environment Facility (GEF) agency for the project that will be funded jointly by GEF and the implementing and executing partners. The project is for four years with a total budget including co‐financing of USD 11.2 M – the GEF contribution is US$ 3 M. Building on the lessons and experiences from REBYC‐I and following the “International Guidelines on Bycatch Management and Reduction of Discards”, REBYC‐II CTI includes a wide range of stakeholders, comprising national and regional policy makers, fishing and fishmeal industry as well as NGO’s. The 1st Project Steering Committee (PSC) meeting took place at Windsor Suites Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, on 13 May 2013. The participants are listed in Appendix 1 and the Agenda is included as Appendix 2. The meeting was hosted by the Thai DOF and chaired by Mr. Manoch Roongratri (Director of the Marine Fisheries Research and Development Bureau) and co‐chaired by Mr. Petri Suuronen (FAO Lead Technical Officer of the project).