NOWPAP participated in the 2022 Annual Conference of the North Pacific Marine Science Organisation and updated the meeting participants on its activities at the Marine Environmental Quality Committee meeting in Busan, the Republic of Korea, on 28 September 2022.
The progress of NOWPAP activities was introduced with a specific focus on the assessment of tidal flats and salt marshes distribution, environmental DNA analysis, harmful algal blooms database, eutrophication assessment tool, collection of data and Information on endangered species filed in the Red Lists, preparation of Third State of Marine Environment Report, and microplastics research. The audience highlighted that many of NOWPAP's activities remain relevant to the PICES priorities. The importance to enhance the cooperation between PICES and NOWPAP further was stressed. The meeting participants also proposed to organize a few joint sessions at the 2023 PICES Conference, which will be held in Seattle, USA, in October 2023.
The PICES Conference reviewed the major efforts in the PICES regions, as well as their alignment with the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development to restore and protect the ecosystems in the North Pacific. Two hundred seventy-one participants from 13 countries attended the PICES conference in person in Busan. Some 76 participants attended virtually. Twenty-one international and regional organizations presented at the conference. Seventeen Expert Groups and 7 Committee meetings and 9 workshops were organized between 23 September and 2 October 2022 in Busan.
