HONIARA, 26 June 2019 – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Fisheries who attended the 16th Forum Fisheries Committee Ministerial Meeting in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia, last week joined other ministers in signing off on a key report – the Strategic Action Programme for the Sustainable Management of Living Oceanic Resources by the Small Island Developing States of the Western and Central Pacific (the Strategic Action Programme or SAP) – for submission to the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

The new five dollar note ($5) which was launched yesterday at the Heritage Park Hotel has tuna as one of its prominent features.

The Western and Central Pacific Ocean holds the world’s largest tuna fishery with a total catch of more than 2.5 million tons a year. The target species (albacore, skipjack, bigeye and yellowfin) are being managed at sustainable levels and there is no overfishing occurring for these stocks. This is in stark contrast to all other oceans.

The Annual Parties to Nauru Agreement (PNA) officials meeting got underway in Koror, Palau this week and Solomon Islands is being replresented by a small delegation led by the Director of Fisheries Mr Edward Honiwala.

Honolulu 7 December 2018 — Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean is being targeted for elimination like never before following calls by Pacific Leaders for “action to end illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing and associated activities."

The Minister of Fisheries Hon John Maneniaru this afternoon officially opened the E-Monitoring building at the Fisheries head office campus.

Hon: 31 Oct 2018: The Ministry of Fisheries hereby announces the re-opening of the beche-de-mer fishery with immediate effect following receipt of an Order in the Gazette.

Compliance Officers from the Ministry of Fisheries were also part of the Operation Kurukuru which concluded yesterday.

Inshore Fisheries Division staff of the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources will soon be carrying out stock status surveys in selected sites around the country to ascertain the population of certain key commercial marine species with the view to encourage local people to go into exporting of these marine resources.

Fisheries Minister, Hon John Maneniaru was a happy man following Kiribati's decision to join the Longline Vessel Day Scheme at the recent 13th PNA Ministerial meeting in Nauru.