1 October 2022 — As a strategic move to implement Goal 4 “Stakeholder/community engagement” of APN’s 5th Strategic Plan (2020~2026), APN has been discussing with the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES) about possibilities of collaboration between the two organisations. 

In recent months, a Study Group with members from both organisations drafted a Framework of Collaboration to detail the mode and scope of the collaboration. On the occasion of the PICES 2022 Annual Meeting, held in Busan, Republic of Korea, the Secretariats had an in-person meeting to finalise the draft Framework and discuss the next steps and timeline of the implementation of the collaboration.

The Governing Council invited APN to deliver a general introduction about APN and present its ideas for possible collaborative activities.

Both PICES Secretariat and Governing Council expressed high interest in APN’s Proposal Development Training Workshop on a topic of high priority for both sides, at which APN and PICES early-career professionals could be trained together and/or PICES experts engaged as resource persons.

The topic “marine plastic debris and micro plastic” as one of the high priority areas under Goal 1 “Research” of APN’s 5th Strategic Plan attracted PICES’ attention as well. APN and PICES confirmed close communication to explore possibilities of collaborative activities under this topic.

The partners will also examine the option of APN organising a workshop or topic session at the PICES 2023 Annual Meeting, to be held in Seattle, USA, in October 2023.