Palau

Surveillance Operation Rai Balang shows success in deterring illegal fishing

FFA REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS, HONIARA, SOLOMON ISLANDS, TUESDAY 4 MAY 2010: This year’s Operation Rai Balang, a surveillance operation involving Federated States of Micronesia, Palau and the US, coordinated by the FFA Regional Fisheries Surveillance Centre, ended yesterday with success in the region’s activities to deter illegal fishing.

Over the past 10 days, Pacific patrol boats, Coast Guard vessels and aircraft have surveyed approximately 3,000,000 square kilometers of ocean and found no sign of illegal fishing.  Approximately 100 people were involved in the surveillance effort from FSM, Palau and the US and 205 fishing vessels were monitored during the operation, 43 were sighted and 6 boarded.  One vessel was found to be apparently operating without a valid licence and thus conducting illegal activity in Palau’s EEZ.  The vessel has been escorted back to Koror for further investigation.

Key surveillance operation concludes this week in FSM & Palau

THE REPUBLIC OF PALAU AND THE FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA, 12 MAY 2009: Operation Rai Balang, a bilateral maritime surveillance operation between Palau and Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) to detect activities such as illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing, ended today. The operation was conducted over 10 days from 2-12 May 2009 over the Palauan and FSM Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) in their entirety. This is the fifth Rai Balang conducted (the first was in 2006) and was the most complex to-date.  Support was provided by a diverse number of agencies in dispersed locations, including Australian advisers (through the Defence Cooperation Program), US Coast Guard (USCG) agencies in Guam and Hawaii and the US Navy in Japan.

Outcomes from PNA Officials meeting

ALOFI, NIUE, MONDAY 11 MAY 2009: The Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) met last week to prepare recommendations for the PNA Ministerial Meeting on Sunday 17 May.
The Parties to the Nauru Agreement are Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu and often are referred to as the PNA. Their 3rd Implementing Arrangement, adopted in 2008, follows a tradition of innovation by PNA leaders in developing new initiatives to manage tuna resources in the region. Many of the measures of the PNA were also adopted at the last meeting of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission such as the high seas pockets closure and the coverage of observers.


FFA provides assistance, such as the legal and technical assistance, to enable PNA countries to implement these measures at a national level. This assistance is partly funded by the GEF-funded Oceanic Fisheries Management Project.

FFA members and US meet in Palau this week

KOROR, PALAU FRIDAY 13 MARCH 2009: The members of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) met US delegates about their multilateral fishing treaty this week.

The Multilateral Treaty on Fisheries Between Certain Governments of the Pacific Island States and the Government of the United States of America (commonly referred to as the "US Treaty") held its 21st Annual Consultation between the Pacific Island Parties and the United States, in Koror Palau.

At the opening of the meeting, on Thursday 12 March 2009, were The Honourable Kerai Mariur, Vice President of the Republic of Palau, Mr William Gibbons-Fly and members of the USA delegation, representatives of the Pacific Island Parties, senior officials of the Government of the Republic of Palau, and the FFA Director General Dan Sua and Deputy Director-General, Dr. Transform Aqorau.

Legal workshop held in Honiara for Parties to Nauru Agreement

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 PHOTO: Participants from PNA at the legal workshop this week

HONIARA, SOLOMON ISLANDS, 19-21 JANUARY 2008: The Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) held a workshop for Parties to the Nauru Agreement members to equip them to draft legislation and regulations neccessary for the implementation of the 3rd Implementing Arrangement they agreed to on a subregional level in 2008.

The Parties to the Nauru Agreement are Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu and often are referred to as the PNA.

FFA assists countries to board and prosecute fishing vessels

NUKU’ALOFA, TONGA, MONDAY 3 NOVEMBER 2008: The FFA Director General Su’a N.F. Tanielu opened the Prosecution and Dockside Boarding Workshop in Tonga today. This workshop will assist local officers to board and inspect fishing vessels for offences.


In Tonga this week, fisheries officers, police and maritime navy at the workshop will learn more about International law, National laws, Regional and Sub-regional Fisheries Agreements, Fishing Vessel Boarding & Evidence Collections and Court Procedures.

Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management

Morning set of purse seiner

Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management assists FFA member countries to use a process of management for their fisheries. EAFM reports have been done for Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Tonga and Vanuatu.

The process is similar to risk management and involves four overall stages:


i. determining the scope of the assessment – develop a clear description of what is to be managed/assessed;


ii. given the scope, identifying all the issues that need to be assessed; preferably across the five key areas of EAFM and agreeing on the values wanted to be achieved for each of these;


iii. determining, using risk analysis, which of these issues needs to be managed directly; and