Fisheries Ministry Bolsters Commitment to Sustainable Development of Tuna Fisheries
As 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 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 stocks is necessary in view of the global demand for tuna fisheries, which is one of the revenue earners for the country.
“With 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 Solomon Islands, the many successful tuna stories from the Tuna hub of Noro in the Western Province is a great achievement providing more than 2000 jobs in the tuna fishing and processing sectors.
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