Bi-partisan approval for WTO fisheries subsidies agreement in Fiji’s parliament
Fiji’s Parliament has unanimously endorsed the ratification of the World Trade Organisation’s fisheries subsidies agreement – in a historical bi-partisan move rarely seen in the Pacific nation. The agreement
FFA to try again in PNG for U.S. treaty money distribution plan
Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency member countries have been unable to conclude an agreement for distribution of US$60 million a year that the United States government has promised for fishing access by the
Niue, Tuvalu raise concerns over Fukushima radioactive wastewater release
The Governments of Niue and Tuvalu have raised their concerns over Japan’s release of treated radioactive wastewater from its Fukushima nuclear plant last Thursday. More than a million tons of ALPS (Advanced Liquid
Japan pledges long-term support for fisheries during Fukushima plant water release
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday promised his government’s full support for fishing communities during the decades-long process to release treated radioactive wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima
A new chapter for Pacific ocean governance
The new Pacific Ocean Commissioner, Dr Filimon Manoni says the support expressed for his office and appointment from Pacific Islands regional agencies, is good news for ocean governance, and for him personally. The
Fisheries app to cross ocean divide
The Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) has launched a free app to help fisheries officials around the Pacific overcome the language barrier while inspecting foreign fishing vessels at sea and in port.
A market access game changer
The Marshall Islands and Walmart partnership The Pacific Islands region is home to the world’s largest tuna fishery worth in excess of US$4.5 billion each year. For over half a century, the Pacific Small Island
Japan to start Fukushima water release as early as late August
Japan plans to start releasing treated radioactive water from the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean as soon as late August, Japan’s Asahi Shimbun reported on Monday, citing unnamed
PNG Cannery may generate K1.2 billion
Papua New Guinea Government and corporate partner RD Corporation will start talks on a fish cannery which is expected to generate about K1.2 billion (US$335 million) in annual revenue, says Prime Minister James Marape.
Deep-sea mining poses potential threat to tuna fishing in Eastern Pacific Ocean
Research published in the science journal Nature Ocean Sustainability has found deep-sea mining is likely to pose a threat to bigeye, skipjack, and yellowfin tuna populations in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Climate change
Science and data for ocean prosperity
The Blue Prosperity expedition programme to collect data on ocean health in Fiji is already showing very mixed results at different sites. The programme is a collaborative effort led by the Fiji government and supported
PNG National Fisheries Authority clarifies tuna supply issues
Papua New Guinea’s National Fisheries Authority (NFA) says tuna supply issues facing the processors in Lae have nothing to do with the lack of fish stocks in the waters. It added that the issues resulted from supply
28 Indonesians caught illegally fishing in PNG waters
About 28 fishermen from Indonesia who were caught illegally fishing in PNG waters would be handed over to Immigration officers and would be detained at the Bomana Immigration Centre (BIC) awaiting full investigation and
Tuvalu joins forces with Sea Shepherd Global to combat illegal fishing
The Government of Tuvalu has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sea Shepherd Global, a marine conservation organisation based in the Netherlands, to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing
Opinion: It’s time to move on from “fisheries management”
The last year has seen some promising changes in the global framework for environmental governance. COP27 and COP15, while they didn’t go as far as necessary to hold back the escalation of global temperatures, have
Fishing Industry Association of Papua New Guinea Tuna Purse Seine Vessels Achieve FISH Standard for Crew Certification
Certification is First for FISH in the Western Central Pacific Region On 22 February 2023, another milestone was achieved by the Fishing Industry Association of Papua New Guinea (FIA PNG), its members and associates
Climate Change in the Western Pacific: Where to Now?
Across the globe, climate change is altering the way people look at the world. Adjusting to shifts in economic drivers is now the norm, as access to natural resources becomes more limited and coastal infrastructure is
WTO fisheries agreement awaits ratification
The Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) says members need to move faster on ratifying a fisheries agreement that would ban subsidies for illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. “We need
Fiji tuna symposium considers industry’s future
Ten years ago, Suva port was one of the region’s most preferred ports for foreign vessels fishing in the western and central Pacific ocean, says the president of the Fiji Fishing Industry Association (FFIA). Speaking
Fish surveys in your pocket
The era of filling out paper forms, mountains of paperwork, and cabinets full of documents containing fish catch surveys could be nearing an end with the increased uptake of the Ikasavea app. The Pacific Community (SPC)
More recruitment by StarKist anticipated
There could be employment for Samoans in the neighbouring country of American Samoa as the Starkist fish processing plant looks for workers. This was one of the outcomes from the third Atoa o Samoa Executive Meeting.
New data reveal links between Korean vessels and illegal fishing in Pacific
A fish carrier sailing under the flag of South Korea was recently denied permission to unload a tuna catch of over 4,000 kgs, estimated to be worth 250 million baht (US$7.2 million), in Bangkok. However,
How Vanuatu allegedly lost its mackerel rights — and fought back
A Vanuatu government envoy was at a fishing summit in Ecuador this year when he claims to have had a surprising encounter: two men linked with an obscure Panamanian company who said they represented his country. Saade
