The Regional Training Course on

Rachael Confair

Trade Monitoring Branch Chief with the Office of International Affairs, Trade, and Commerce, NOAA Fisheries | U.S. Department of Commerce

Rachael Confair is the Trade Monitoring Branch Chief with the Office of International Affairs, Trade, and Commerce at NOAA Fisheries. Rachael is responsible for implementing the NOAA Fisheries seafood trade monitoring programs, including the Seafood Import Monitoring Program.

Kate (Woojin) Chung

MCS specialist, IMCS Network

Kate (Woojin) is an MCS specialist at IMCS Network, where she covers projects and strategic partnerships.

A recognized sustainability expert with specialized focus on seafood traceability. She combines experience in international fisheries trade, import regulations, and program management. Builds productive relationships across governments, corporations, and NGOs to create legal, sustainable and ethical seafood supply chains.

Kate holds a Master of Marine Policy from the University of Wollongong, Australian National Certre for Ocean Resources & Security (ANCORS), and has worked as a senior campaigner for the Environmental Justice Foundation, advocating for transparency, traceability, and human rights protections in fisheries across Asia, EU and USA.

She worked six years with the Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries on fisheries negotiations and port development aid programs throughout Asia, the Pacific, and Africa. Her background includes service as a naval officer coordinating intelligence between the Republic of Korea and the U.S. Navy for maritime security.

Tsubasa Tanizawa

Fisheries Agency of Japan

Tanizawa is a Section Director for the Fisheries Proper Distribution Promotion Office in the Fisheries Processing Industries and Marketing Division at the Fisheries Agency of Japan. He is responsible for the Catch Document Scheme (CDS) under the Act on Ensuring the Proper Domestic Distribution and Importation of Specified Aquatic Animals and Plants.

He provides guidance not only to fishermen but also to distributors across Japan on complying with the updated Act. The Act includes measures such as controlling each Pacific Bluefin tuna at the time of Total Allowable Catch (TAC) reporting, transmitting required information, and maintaining records throughout every step of the distribution process.

In a previous role, he revised the Act on Compensation of Fishery Disaster to expand eligibility and support diversification, enabling fishers to receive compensation across multiple species and thereby improve their income stability and livelihoods.

He has worked for six years at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan, where he was involved in not only fisheries but also agricultural policy and food security, including the enactment of the “Food Security Reinforcement Policy Framework”.

Tatsuki Oshita

Fisheries Agency of Japan

Oshita is an Officer for the Fisheries Proper Distribution Promotion Office in the Fisheries Processing Industries and Marketing Division at the Fisheries Agency of Japan. He is responsible for the Catch Document Scheme (CDS) under the Act on Ensuring the Proper Domestic Distribution and Importation of Specified Aquatic Animals and Plants. He has been working to eliminate IUU fishing by focusing mainly on Regulation on Imports.

As a student, he majored in fisheries science and obtained a master's degree.

He worked for the Fisheries Agency for two years, where he was in charge of policing Japanese fishing boats, thereby contributing to maintaining order in the fishing industry and realizing appropriate resource management.

Kongpathai Saraphaivanich

Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC), Training Department

Mr. Kongpathai Saraphaivanich graduated from Faculty of Fisheries, Kasetsart University, Thailand. He joined with the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC), Training Department since 1999. He had experiences on fishing gear technology, fishery management, combating IUU fishing, and fishery information.

Presently, he is Head of Training and Information Section and Lead Technical Officer to conduct combating IUU fishing activities under SEAFDEC/TD project which implement activities such as Regional Fishing Vessels Record (RFVR), electronic Catch ASEAN Documentation Scheme (eACDS), capacity building on Monitoring Control and Surveillance, and Regional Cooperation to Support Implementation of Port State Measures.