ACTING Prime Minister Hon. Bradley Tovosia opened the 23rd Annual Ministerial Forum Fisheries meeting and the 5th Annual Regional Fisheries Ministers’ meeting in Honiara yesterday morning.
Ministers and Senior Officials from FFA member countries are meeting this week to discuss and chart FFA’s path to foster sustainable fisheries management, and conservation and enhance the economic development of the region’s tuna fishery for future generations.
The region’s tuna fishery is a major important resource and is becoming the focus of intense discussions and negotiations at the global level.
The largest healthy stocks of tuna in the world are in the Pacific region’s waters with its management and access sitting at the top of international agendas.
Hon. Tovosia challenged leaders and officials to ensure the region’s tuna fishery is managed sustainably for the region’s future generations with innovative and collective efforts.
“We must ensure the sustainable management of our tuna resources because the livelihoods of our Pacific peoples depend on this vast fishery resources and it is our collective responsibility to ensure our tuna fishery is managed for our current and future generations,” Tovosia said.
The region’s tuna fishery contributes significantly to the economic and cultural fabric of the region’s 17 Member countries and vast communities.
“Sustainable management practices must be central to the management of our fishery resources. We must work together to ensure our members take collective and national actions for the sustainable use of our offshore fisheries resources,” Tovosia said.
The Acting Prime Minister applauded the ongoing work by the FFA Secretariat with members to build capacity and capability on MCS to reduce Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported (IUU) fishing as well as enhance market access to grow returns from tuna fishery for the region.
“We must enhance our collective efforts to strengthen our tuna fisheries through the spirit of regionalism and being “Wantoks” to enhance opportunities for transformative development of our fishery for our people,” Tovosia said.
The Acting Prime Minister also highlighted the importance of harnessing science and technology to find sustainable solutions to combat the effect of climate change on the region’s fishery to safeguard the future viability of the tuna fishery and collectively leave a legacy for the region’s future generations.
Climate change affects fish and their habitat as warmer temperatures influence the abundance, migratory patterns, and mortality rates of the region’s fish stocks, with social and economic consequences for the FFA region in the years ahead.
This week’s meeting concludes on Thursday.
Source: GCU Press Release
