Applications are now being accepted for Year 4 of the Nippon Foundation-POGO Centre of Excellence (NF-POGO CofE) at the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). The training will run from October 2016 to August 2017.

As an archipelago, the Philippines enjoys a long, rich history with the ocean and dependence on food from the sea. However, in modern times, there can be a lack of connection between people and the source of their seafood and little understanding how this food gets to our tables. If we ignore the impacts of unsustainable fishing practices, we put these critical food resources at risk and contribute to the vulnerability of our oceans.

The International Maritime Organization-European Commission (IMO-EC) is embarking on a new project against climate change. The objective of this four year project is to establish a global network of Maritime Technology Cooperation Centres with a focus on developing countries in Africa, Asia, Pacific, Caribbean and Latin America.

PEMSEA’s efforts in Manila Bay, Philippines, which started in 2000 through the implementation of the Manila Bay Environmental Management Project, adopted a watershed management approach engaging national agencies, local governments, academic institutions, the private sector and civil society groups.

The Action Plan for the Protection, Management and Development of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the Northwest Pacific Region (NOWPAP) made important contributions to the East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress in Da Nang, Vietnam, held 16-20 November 2015. As a PEMSEA Non-Country Partner, NOWPAP participated in a number of important meetings, workshops and special events at the Congress, including the East Asian Seas Partnership Council meeting and Ministerial Forum of PEMSEA member states.

The Department of Fisheries, Thailand, in collaboration with the Asian Fisheries Society, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Regional Office for the Asia and the Pacific, INFOFISH, the Network of Aquaculture Centre's in the Asia-Pacific, and the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center and partners are proud to host the ASEAN Fisheries and Aquaculture Conference and Exposition 2016: ASEAN Seafood for the World and the 11th Asian Fisheries and Aquaculture F

By Stephen Adrian Ross
PEMSEA Executive Director and Chief Technical Officer

New staff, new e-mail addresses in NOWPAP 
In May, NOWPAP RCU Busan office Programme Assistant, Ms. Gyoung Hee KIM, has moved to another UN office in Seoul.  New Team Assistant, Ms. Jihee YI, has started working in Busan office since 2 May.  Her e-mail address is Jihee.Yi@unep.org.  Other RCU staff members will use *.*@unep.org e-mail addresses from 1 June 2016.

Launch of the PEMSEA Youth Program
Today is World Oceans Day! To celebrate this global event, PEMSEA is launching a new PEMSEA Youth Program. PEMSEA recognizes the important role that young people play in the future of coasts and oceans and the success of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA). True sustainability of our shared seas can only be achieved if youth are actively involved in managing coastal and marine resources.