The Executive Secretary may, with the approval of all CCSBT Members, invite the following States, entities or organisations to send observers to attend meetings of the CCSBT:
- any State or entity not party to the Convention, whose nationals, residents or fishing vessels harvest southern bluefin tuna, and any coastal State through whose exclusive economic or fishery zone southern bluefin tuna migrates; and
- any inter-governmental or, on request, non-governmental organisations having special competence concerning southern bluefin tuna or competent to contribute to the attainment of the objectives of the Convention.
The CCSBT may also approve long-term observer status to specific States, entities, inter-governmental (IGO) and, on request, non-governmental organisations (NGO) to attend specific meetings of the CCSBT. Five IGOs and four NGOs have been granted with long-term observer status as shown in the table below.
| Observers organisations provided with long-term observer status for CCSBT Meetings |
| |
Strategy and Fisheries Management Working Group |
Ecologically Related Species Working Group |
Extended Scientific Committee |
Compliance Committee |
Extended Commission |
| Inter-Governmental Organisations |
| ACAP |
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
Yes |
| CCAMLR |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| ICCAT |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| IOTC |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| WCPFC |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Non-Governmental Organisations |
| Birdlife Int. |
|
Yes |
|
|
Yes |
| HSI Int. |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
Yes |
| TRAFFIC Int. |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
Yes |
| WWF Aust. |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Further details on the attendance and participation by observers can be found at Rule 3 of the CCSBT Rules of Procedure. It is important to note that any requests for attendance as an observer to a CCSBT meeting must be received by the Executive Secretary at least 50 days before the respective meeting.
