Before the meeting proper, the new offices of the BOBLME RCU on the premises of the Andaman Sea Fisheries R&D Center of the Thai Department of Fisheries were inaugurated by Mr. Pongpat Boonchawong, Senior Expert on Fisheries on behalf of the Director-General, Department of Fisheries, and Mr. Hiroyuki Konuma, the FAO Assistant Director-General and Representative for Asia and the Pacific. The offices have a floor space of approx. 140m2 and overlook Makham Bay in the southeastern tip of Phuket Island, not far from the deepsea port and the Phuket Marine Biological Center of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources.

The inauguration session was followed by the actual PSC Meeting, held at the nearby Radisson Hotel. It was opened by the out-going Chair, Mr. Shamsul Kibria from Bangladesh and then elected Mr. Pongpat (Thailand) for the current session.

Major topics of the first day of deliberations were the presentation and endorsement of the 2010 Annual Work Plan and discussions of matters concerning Project implementation, such as co-financing, raising of awareness levels on BOBLME among policy makers, promotion of the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries, and the increasing importance of the roles of BOBLME National Coordinators. On Day 2, the PSC examined in detail the activities proposed in the 2011 Work Plan, and the related budget for each of the more than 100 outputs to be achieved. Many of these relate to National and Regional Workshops of training events, and the reports resulting from these. Key areas of particular importance during this year include the finalization of the national consultations on the Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) and its adoption in the 2nd half of 2011. Preparatory activities for the drafting of the Strategic Action Programme (SAP) will also begin in 2011, with the formation of SAP Teams and their first working sessions. Further highlights of the 2011 Work Plan, which was subsequently adopted by the PSC, include the formulation of ecosystem-based fisheries management advice and the intensification of work on transboundary critical habitats in the Mergui/Myeik Archiepelago and Gulf of Mannar.

Monitoring and Evaluation was discussed under a separate agenda item, recognizing its purpose and requirements as a management tool and noting the comprehensive information provided in the various monitoring reports prepared routinely. Preparation for a Project Mid-term Evaluation, to take place in late 2011 or early 2012 and capacity development in M&E are major activities in 2011.

The PSC congratulated and thanked the Chairman and host country Thailand for facilitating the 2nd PSC Meeting and for providing the very suitable facilities for the BOBLME RCU. The PSC agreed to hold the 3rd meeting in March 2012, tentatively in Sri Lanka.