Advancing sustainable fisheries, still a costly undertaking for the Pacific

By Fredrick Kusu

In Nice, France

The Pacific fisheries sector has produced 2.6 million tons of tuna, more than half of the global tuna production in 2023.

The sector itself has a value approaching 3-billion US dollars and employed more than 25,000 Pacific Islanders making it of significant value.

But could all these be sustained?

At the third UN Oceans Conference (UNOC) in Nice, France, fisheries agencies, stakeholders and partners are calling for global actions on developing financial mechanisms to manage and maintain fish stock in the Pacific waters.

Apart from climate change that continues to pose a threat of moving fish stock out of the Pacific waters, the lack of funds has been a hiccup to managing fish stock in the region.

Deputy Director of the Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), Dr Pio Manoa said the lack of funds has been an ongoing issue affecting the work to achieve sustainable fisheries in the Pacific.

“This is an ongoing issue for us. Our small administrations do not have the funds to support significant management of the Pacific ocean.

“The reality we also face is SDG14 is the least funded of all the SDGs,” Manoa said.

While tuna stock in the Western and Central Pacific remains healthy, maintaining this status remains a challenge, said the Chair of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission Dr. Josie Tamata.

Speaking during an Ocean Action Panel, the Solomon Islands Minister for Fisheries and Marine Resources, Bradley Tovosia said the implementation of SDG14.4 is underfunded.

He called for an accessible approach to ocean financing that will address the challenges faced by Small Island Developing States to regulate and manage their fisheries resources.

“This facility would provide direct access to grants and concessional finance for ocean conservation, sustainable fisheries, and blue economy initiatives.”

In a show of solidarity, Pacific leaders called for a joint effort to restore and maintain fish stock and combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing to achieve the SDG14.4.

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This story was produced as part of the 2025 UNOC Fellowship organized by Internews’ Earth Journalism Network.