Fiji, Dec. 3 -- The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) has received eight applications for Cooperating Non-Member (CNM) status for 2026, with all requests coming from countries already granted CNM status in 2025.

But the road to renewal will hinge on compliance, data reporting and attendance issues flagged by the Commission's technical bodies.

According to a paper presented at the WCPFC22 in Manila, the Secretariat confirmed that Bahamas, Curacao, Ecuador, El Salvador, Liberia, Panama, Thailand and Viet Nam all submitted applications on time under CMM 2019- 01, which governs how the Commission screens CNM requests.

The WCPFC also confirmed all eight applicants have paid their 2025 financial contributions in full -...