Fisheries resources are crucial for all 17 Pacific member countries of Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA).
FFA Director General, Noan Pakop highlighted good stories and fisheries management of FFA during day 2 of the 2025 Honiara Summit at the Friendship Hall, Wednesday.
“Fisheries are the crucial to Pacific Islands’ countries,” he said.
He said fisheries are food securities and economies providing 50% to 90% over islands coastal communities’ direct proteins at the consumption of the region which is also 2 to 5 times global average.
And FFA is working towards the SDG 14.4 to strengthen it within the region.
“I must say that we working towards the SDG 14.4 to strengthened it within the region,” he said.
FFA refered on the report by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) chair on the status on stocks and how the regions have come to manage the four key tuna species so-called Skip Jack, the Yellow Fin, the Big Eye and Albacore.
“The WCPFC Chair highlights the importance and probably the vision of our leaders in the region in setting up regional agencies within the region with complementary role to support the sustainable fisheries in the region from setting up the FFA 45 years ago of over 30 million square kilometers over water while focusing on the benefit economy prosperity.
“The vast ocean brings challenges in terms of monitoring and exploring then controlling the Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing in the region.”
Pacop highlighted that South Pacific Commission (SPC) plays a very key role in the region in providing scientific advices to informing the WCPFC and informing the FFA with its 17 members occasionally through workshops but mainly through ministerial forums and the official forums to discuss fisheries management measures and how we can continue to sustainably manage the four stocks within the region.
He underscored that the Nauru Agreement also contributing to managing tuna stocks especially the Skip Jack tuna which the Pacific Forum is to provide vision for such relevant agencies because fisheries are crucial for people in the Pacific region.
Pacop is the first PNG national appointed as FFA Director General.
By LACHLAN SHYVES EDDIE
Solomon Star, Honiara
