Progress report for
Implementing the Joint Program of Scientific Research and Monitoring for High Seas Fisheries in the Central Arctic Ocean
Achievement at a glance
The Joint Program of Scientific Research and Monitoring (JPSRM) Framework, including a Data Sharing Protocol, was adopted in June 2023 under the Agreement to Prevent Unregulated High Seas Fisheries in the Central Arctic Ocean. The JPSRM Framework takes into account the impacts of climate change on the ecosystems of the Central Arctic Ocean, using a sciencedriven and relying on a precautionary approach. An Implementation Plan for the JPSRM was adopted in June 2024 and is in the early stages of execution. The EU contributed actively to this work in its capacity as Vice-Chair of the Scientific Coordination Group, the scientific body established under the Agreement, and through the direct involvement of EU scientists. The JPSRM is unique insofar it has embedded by design co-creation with traditional knowledgehold by Arctic Indigenous Peoples, who are very active players in the Agreement. Other activities, such as the project ArcFish, funded by the EU under the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership, aiming to produce new data and Digital Twin Ocean (DTO) applications can support sustainable fisheries in the Arctic. and be used by the JPSRM to advance its objectives.
The EU has also extensively promoted the implementation of the Agreement to Prevent Unregulated Fishing in the High Seas of the Central Arctic Ocean and the JPSRM at global events, including the Arctic Circle Assembly in 2023.
Challenges faced in implementation
N/A, other than the geophysical constraints of operating in a polar environment. As a lesson embedded in the JPSRM by design, Arctic Indigenous Peoples are active players (and not a challenge, but to be noted as a good practice for other commitments).Next Steps
Bénédicte CaremierBeneficiaries
The implementation of this commitment benefits the Parties to CAOFA, particularly to indigenous groups represented in the Agreement as well as in the JPSRM. In a larger context, the implementation of the JPSRM benefits fishing and coastal communities around the Arctic Ocean as well as Arctic marine ecosystems