Fisheries Management

Introduction

Fisheries management at FFA provides policy and services to its members to build national capacity and regional solidarity for the sustainable management of tuna in the Pacific. This includes legal expertise, principles and projects around Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management, policy expertise and support regarding fisheries management decision making bodies, notably the WCPFC and SC-SPTBF (Billfish Committee).

Read media releases and reports about Fisheries Management

Many fisheries management activities at FFA are part of the GEF-funded Pacific Islands Oceanic Fisheries Management Project.

Fisheries Management activities also follow the strategy set out in the Regional Tuna Management and Development Strategy.

  • 2128 reads

Report from visits from Australia, Fiji, Kiribati to FFA last week

HONIARA, SOLOMON ISLANDS, 7-10 MARCH 2011: High level delegations from member countries of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) - Australia, Fiji and Kiribati - visited the regional headquarters of the agency last week to tour the Regional Fisheries Surveillance Centre and to discuss key fisheries issues.

In a formal high-level visit to FFA, Kiribati Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resource Development, the Hon. Peter Taberranang Timeon, accompanied by the Kiribati Permanent Secretary and a policy officer.

Kiribati has the largest Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ or national waters) of all the FFA member countries - a massive area of 3,550,000 square kilometres - posing a significant development opportunity and surveillance challenge for the small island developing state.

Unfinished business remains as WCPFC ends

HAWAII, US, 10 DECEMBER 2010: As the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) annual meeting closed today, FFA members said there was unfinished business that the Commission needed to address next year. While FFA members made advances on some technical issues, there were no decisions made on the critical issues of overfishing of bigeye and yellowfin tuna, catch of whales and dolphins, and adequate severity of punishment for illegal fishing. Pacific Island countries are the custodians of the last remaining healthy tuna stocks in the world and manage a marine area of 30 million square kilometres, supported with technical advice and services from the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA).

WCPFC Photos

This week the Annual Session of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) is being held in Ko Olina, Hawaii. News on outcomes from the meeting will be released on 10 December 2010 (Hawaii time). 

The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) is the central decision making body for management of tuna fishing in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean. Conservation and management measures (CMMs) of the Commission are legally binding and apply to all WCPFC members and the Convention area. Whereas members of FFA are from the Pacific Islands, members of WCPFC are FFA members and distant water fishing nations.

POLYNESIAN COUNTRIES SEEK TO PROTECT AND MAXIMISE BENEFITS FROM FISHERIES THROUGH CLOSE COOPERATION

Senior representatives of the Fisheries Administrations of Cook Islands, New Zealand, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau and Tonga have just concluded a successful round of cooperation talks in Auckland, building on the signature of TeVakaMoana Arrangement (TVMA), in January. 

This release comes from the current Chair Mr Peter Graham, of the Cook Islands Ministry of Marine Resources.

“TVMA has formalised existing cooperation and lays a foundation for improved collaboration in fisheries. A core focus of this work is securing and realising the sustainable benefits and interests that TeVakaMoana participants have, and aspire to have, in highly migratory fisheries, throughout the Pacific.

The meeting in Auckland provided an opportunity to discuss strategies, confirm a work programme and map out next steps, including in advance of this year’s Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) meeting in Hawaii said Mr Graham.

Key fisheries meetings outcomes

HONIARA, SOLOMON ISLANDS OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2010: The regional headquarters of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) hosted 2 key meetings last week – the Management Options Consultation to develop FFA positions for the WCPFC meeting and the Special Forum Fisheries Committee to approve these decisions.

FFA members participated in the Management Options Consultation where countries work cooperatively to draft recommended negotiating positions and proposals for the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC). These were then brought to the 75th Officials Forum Fisheries Committee (FFC) for further discussion and endorsement. FFC outcomes on positions to take to WCPFC at its annual session in December include:

New film 'Oceanic Guardians' launched today to celebrate Pacific Island success in establishing rules for fishing

A new film titled 'Oceanic Guardians' (www.youtube.com/pacificislandfish) was launched today by the UNDP-GEF funded Pacific Islands Oceanic Fisheries Management Project (OFMP) at the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee meeting in Honiara, Solomon Islands.

Celebrating the success of Pacific Islands' negotiations to establish a tuna commission to set and enforce rules on tuna fishing, 'Oceanic Guardians' is shot in high definition video featuring the world's first underwater footage of longline fishing in the Pacific Islands, traditional canoe racing in the Solomon Islands and Tongan-owned and crewed patrol boats and fishing vessels.

FFA & SPC assist consultative process for fisheries management & legal review

FUNAFUTI, TUVALU 12-21 OCTOBER 2010: The Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) in collaboration with the Secretariat of the South Pacific Community (SPC) assist Tuvalu to hold stakeholder consultations and develop a National Tuna Fisheries Management and Development Plan this week.

Meetings that are being held at Funafuti week will progress a consultative process to upgrade Tuvalu’s fisheries laws and develop a new tuna fisheries management and development plan.

Tuvalu launches 4-year roadmap for fisheries

FUNAFUTI, TUVALU, SEPTEMBER 2010: After months of discussion, consultation, and planning, Tuvalu launched a roadmap for how to strengthen its fisheries institutions, manage and develop its fisheries and coordinate activities of government.

The smallest FFA member country, with only nine small atolls and islands and 11,000 people, Tuvalu’s fish are vital. Two out of three households go out fishing for food, while licence fees for foreign vessels have formed 25-50% of the GDP.  However it faces a number of challenges including sea rise due to climate change, the global economic crisis and low revenue from fishing compared to foreign profits (an estimated $9 million worth of fish was caught in 2009, while licence fees were only 5 % of this).

FSM Minister says GEF support critical Pacific Islands manage 25 million sq km of ocean

MADANG, PAPUA NEW GUINEA, SEPTEMBER 2010: The Minister of Environment in the Federated States of Micronesia has made a strong and urgent statement to support the continuation of GEF funding for the Pacific Islands Oceanic Fisheries Management Project.

Honorable Andrew Yatilman, Director of the Office of Environment and Emergency Management, Government of the Federated States of Micronesia, told fellow Ministers it is critical that ongoing GEF support be provided if the small island developing states of the region are to continue to make gains to control their 25 million square kilometres of ocean.

In thanking the Global Environment Facilty (GEF), he said: “The waters of the Pacific Island countries are home to the world’s largest stocks of tuna and related pelagic species and they are custodians of a significant part of the Earth’s major international waters ecosystems, a significant global responsibility for some of the smallest nations on the earth.