North Pacific Fisheries Commission

What North Pacific Fisheries Commission does

The North Pacific Fisheries Commission (NPFC) is an inter-governmental organization established by the Convention on the Conservation and Management of High Seas Fisheries Resources in the North Pacific Ocean, which entered into force in 2015. It is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, at the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, and operates under a multilateral governance structure comprising nine member parties: Canada, China, the European Union, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, Chinese Taipei, the United States of America, and Vanuatu. The Commission's mandate is to ensure the long-term conservation and sustainable use of fisheries resources in the North Pacific Convention Area while protecting the marine ecosystems in which those resources occur.

NPFC delivers a suite of regulatory, compliance, and scientific products rather than commercial offerings. Core instruments include Conservation and Management Measures (CMMs), a Vessel Registry covering authorized fishing and support vessels, an IUU Vessel List shared with other Regional Fisheries Management Organizations, High Seas Boarding and Inspection (HSBI) procedures, and a Non-Member Carrier Vessel Register. Monitoring and data products include the Transshipment Submission Portal (transshipment.npfc.int), the new Transshipment Observer Program inaugurated in April 2026, an NPFC GIS Map, cumulative catch tracking systems for chub mackerel and Pacific saury, and a Scientific Data Database launched in April 2026. Scientific and compliance work is carried out through the Scientific Committee, the Technical and Compliance Committee (TCC), and multiple Standing Working Groups covering topics such as Pacific saury, bottom fisheries/marine ecosystems, Management Strategy Evaluation, juvenile fish survey, and data management.

NPFC does not generate commercial revenue. It is funded through assessed contributions from its member countries, and financial figures are not publicly disclosed. The organization has no parent company, no subsidiaries, and is not listed on any exchange. Recent strategic activity centers on institutional consolidation: signing MOUs with the WCPFC and ISC in September 2024, marking the body's 10th anniversary in 2024, holding the 9th Commission Session in Osaka in March 2025, the 10th Scientific Committee meeting in December 2025, and the dual 2026 launches of the Transshipment Observer Program and the Scientific Data Database.

Name

North Pacific Fisheries Commission

Legal name

North Pacific Fisheries Commission

Website

https://npfc.int

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The North Pacific Fisheries Commission is an inter-governmental organization established by a 2015 convention to conserve and sustainably manage high seas fisheries in the North Pacific Ocean, serving nine member parties (Canada, China, EU, Japan, Korea, Russia, Chinese Taipei, USA, Vanuatu) through compliance frameworks, scientific advice, and monitoring programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Fisheries Management and Marine Conservation

NAICS

Regulation, Licensing, and Inspection of Miscellaneous Commercial Sectors (926150), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (924)

SIC

Foreign Governments (8888)

akta.pro primary industry

Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Coastal & Marine Resources Administration (Oceans, Fisheries, Shorelines) (BPAIAMAI), Agriculture, Fisheries & Food Administration (BPAIAAAO)

Keywords

• Fisheries management
• Marine conservation
• Regional fisheries governance
• High seas regulation
• Sustainable fishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Core offering

The North Pacific Fisheries Commission (NPFC) is an inter-governmental organization that provides regulatory oversight of high seas fisheries in the North Pacific Ocean. It develops and enforces Conservation and Management Measures (CMMs), maintains vessel registries and IUU vessel lists, conducts High Seas Boarding and Inspection (HSBI), monitors transshipment activities, and delivers scientific advice on fish stock status to its nine member nations. Its outputs are binding conservation rules, scientific recommendations, and compliance frameworks rather than commercial products.

Product overview

The North Pacific Fisheries Commission is an inter-governmental organization established by the Convention on the Conservation and Management of High Seas Fisheries Resources in the North Pacific Ocean. Rather than a single product, NPFC operates a suite of compliance and scientific programs centered on fisheries conservation. The core offerings include the Vessel Registry (tracking authorized fishing vessels), Conservation and Management Measures (CMMs - the regulatory framework governing fishing activities), High Seas Boarding and Inspection (HSBI - enforcement mechanism), and the IUU Vessel List (listing non-compliant vessels). Supporting tools include the Transshipment Observer Program and submission portal for monitoring at-sea transfers, the NPFC GIS Map for spatial data visualization, and a Scientific Data Database for member data sharing. The Technical and Compliance Committee (TCC) oversees these programs through Working Groups on Planning & Development and Operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vessel Registry A central registry of authorized fishing vessels operating in the NPFC Convention Area, including all support vessels whether chartered or owned by Member countries. It is used by NPFC members and the Secretariat to track authorized fishing activity and support compliance with Conservation and Management Measures.
• Conservation and Management Measures (CMMs) Active rules and regulations governing the activities of all fishing vessels operating in the NPFC Convention Area that fish for species under the Commission's management mandate. They form the binding regulatory framework that members and fishing fleets must comply with.
• High Seas Boarding and Inspection (HSBI) A compliance mechanism allowing authorized inspection vessels to board and inspect fishing vessels on the high seas to ensure compliance with conservation measures. It underpins on-the-water enforcement across the Convention Area.
• IUU Vessel List A list of vessels found to have committed serious infractions or non-compliance with CMMs, shared with other Regional Fisheries Management Organizations for coordinated action against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
• Transshipment Observer Program A monitoring program for at-sea transshipment activities, with inaugural training and deployment in 2026 to enhance transparency and oversight of fish transfers at sea.
• Transshipment Submission Portal Web-based portal (transshipment.npfc.int) for submitting transshipment data and documentation to the NPFC Secretariat.
• NPFC GIS Map Geographic information system mapping tool providing spatial data visualization, including Pacific Saury Catch/Effort data and other fisheries layers for member use.
• Scientific Data Database New database system (introduced April 2026) for managing and sharing scientific data among NPFC Members, with structured functionality for data submission and access by the Scientific Committee.
• Non-Member Carrier Vessel Register Registry of carrier vessels operated by non-Member entities that are involved in transshipment activities in the NPFC Convention Area.
• Chub Mackerel Cumulative Catch Tracking Public tracking system for monitoring cumulative catch data for chub mackerel fisheries in the NPFC Convention Area.
• Pacific Saury Cumulative Catch Tracking Public tracking system for monitoring cumulative catch data for Pacific saury fisheries in the NPFC Convention Area.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 September 2024NPFC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with WCPFC on 5 September 2024 to strengthen cooperation between the two regional fisheries organizations.
• International Scientific Committee for Tuna and Tuna-like Species in the North Pacific Ocean (ISC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 September 2024NPFC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with ISC on 5 September 2024 to strengthen ties with this scientific body that supports tuna fisheries management in the North Pacific.
• Government of JapancoreOthers · 2 June 2017

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• International Seabed Authority (ISA): ISA is an inter-governmental organization established by UNCLOS to regulate seabed mining beyond national jurisdiction — a parallel high seas governance regime with comparable Convention-based mandate, member-state funding model, and Secretariat in the Pacific region context.
• Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR): CCAMLR is a multilateral RFMO managing fisheries in the Southern Ocean, with comparable Commission structure, Scientific Committee, conservation measures, and IUU vessel list — directly analogous in mandate and tooling.
• Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC): The WCPFC is the sister RFMO covering the western and central Pacific, with overlapping membership and mandate on highly migratory species. NPFC signed a 2024 MOU with WCPFC to coordinate management, making it the closest structural peer.
• South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO): SPRFMO is a newer RFMO covering the South Pacific, with a comparable inter-governmental structure, Convention Area mandate, and focus on non-tuna as well as tuna species — closely parallel to NPFC's scope.
• Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO): NAFO is an RFMO managing fisheries in the Northwest Atlantic, with a comparable Convention-based governance model, Scientific Council, and enforcement regime. Strong functional peer to NPFC for high seas fisheries governance.
• North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC): NEAFC manages fisheries in the North-East Atlantic under a similar Convention framework with binding CMMs and a port-state control regime, making it a direct institutional analogue to NPFC.

Broad incumbents

• Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC): IOTC is the Indian Ocean tuna RFMO, operating under a comparable FAO Article XIV agreement with Commission, Scientific Committee, and compliance committee structures. Useful peer for benchmarking NPFC's governance and compliance practice.
• General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM): GFCM is a FAO regional fisheries body covering the Mediterranean and Black Sea. While geographically distant and FAO-administered rather than convention-based, it shares NPFC's marine fisheries management remit and offers a peer for regulatory practice.
• International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT): ICCAT is the largest tuna RFMO globally, covering the Atlantic and adjacent seas. While tuna-focused and far larger than NPFC, its RFMO governance model, IUU list, and catch-tracking systems are widely emulated — including elements visible in NPFC's design.

Regional players

• South East Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (SEAFO): SEAFO manages fisheries in the South-East Atlantic under a Convention structure analogous to NPFC's, focusing on non-tuna species. Useful peer for assessing NPFC's institutional maturity given SEAFO's similar smaller scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/north-pacific-fisheries-commission

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about North Pacific Fisheries Commission