AS the Solomon Islands joins the world to celebrate World Tuna Day on May 2, the Government through the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR) reassures its commitments to the sustainable development and management of tuna fisheries in collaboration with other regional and international stakeholders.
This was demonstrated by the ongoing close collaboration with key regional stakeholder agencies including the Pacific Islands Fisheries Forum Agency (FFA), the Secretariat Pacific Community (SPC), Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA), and other regional countries to ensure the Solomon Islands receives maximum economic benefits from the harvest of its tuna resources, and at the same time ensuring the country’s tuna stocks are sustainably managed.
Director of Fisheries Edward Honiwala yesterday said sustainable management of the country’s Tuna stock is necessary given the global demand for Tuna fisheries, which is one of the revenue earners for the country.
“With the demand for tuna globally, the resource needs to be sustainably well managed. Tuna contributes significantly to our country’s revenue, it creates job opportunities for our people and is a source of food and livelihood to our communities,” Honiwala said.
For the Solomon Islands, the many successful tuna stories from the Tuna hub of Noro in the Western Province are a great achievement providing more than 2000 jobs in the tuna fishing and processing sectors. Many other economic activities and benefits are also linked either directly or indirectly to the processing plant in Noro.
The Solomon Islands Government, through the MFMR, is working to expand the same tuna economic activities to Bina Harbour in Malaita Province.
This is an important project for Malaita Province as well as the Solomon Islands which envisages more job opportunities to secure social and economic security for the future.
SOURCE: MFMR PRESS