Page 22 - IB June July 2024

Oceans and Fisheries

PACIFIC NATIONS STAND FIRM ON

FISHERIES AND OCEANS PROTECTION

A scoop is used to haul tons of tuna onto the deck of a purse seine fishing boat in the Pacific. Photo: Greenpeace

By Prerna Priyanka negotiations, ultimately leaving loopholes that favour large
fishing nations.
For Pacific Island nations, marine conservation and “We put forward proposals aimed at significantly cutting
sustainable fisheries management are crucial because the subsidies for distant water fishing, but they amounted to
health of ocean resources deeply influences their economies mere best endeavours, devoid of concrete prohibitions,” said
and livelihoods. Wolfenden.
In recent times, contrasting developments such as the Fiji’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and
collapse of fisheries subsidies talks and the signing of the Commerce, Manoa Kamikamica, led the Pacific delegation to
Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement the MC13.
carry major implications for the Pacific. “Our ocean resources must be sustainably managed,
The breakdown of negotiations over fisheries subsidies protected, and not overexploited,” Kamikamica asserted.
at the 13th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade “We, as owners of two-thirds of the world’s tuna resources,
Organization (MC13) this year has cast a shadow over the insist on equal representation to ensure sustainable
Pacific fisheries industry. management, protection, and prevention of overfishing for
Pacific Island nations, including Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and the benefit of future generations.”
the Solomon Islands, voiced their opposition to the draft deal Despite the setback, Pacific countries retain some leverage
on fisheries subsidies at the MC13 in Abu Dhabi in February. through existing flexibilities within WTO frameworks designed
They proposed stringent measures to curtail these subsidies, to safeguard small-scale fisheries.
aiming for quantifiable reductions to ensure sustainability. According to Wolfenden, these provisions are crucial
“The Pacific Island countries, along with others, proposed for protecting local fishing communities, which contribute
substantial cuts to subsidies, particularly targeting distant minimally to global overfishing.
water fleets notorious for unsustainable practices,” explained “Small-scale fisheries employ more people and have a
Adam Wolfenden, Deputy Coordinator of the Pacific Network smaller environmental footprint. They should not bear the
on Globalisation (PANG).
“However, these proposals were sidelined during Continued on page 27

22 Islands Business, June/July 2024