Under the auspices of the Pacific Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) International Waters Strategic Action Programme (Pacific IW SAP), support continues to be made by UNDP-GEF towards the implementation of enhanced oceanic fisheries management in the Pacific Ocean.

The Pacific island members of the South Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) are situated in an ocean area that has the largest tuna fishery in the world in which much of the catch is taken in the waters of their exclusive economic zones. FFA members have been diligent in promoting cooperation in the development and management of regional fisheries. The most significant result of their efforts to conserve and manage the regions migratory fish stocks to date is the establishment of the new Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission at Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia in 2004. The Commission is established under the Convention on the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPF Convention) that was opened for signature on 5 September 2000 and came into force 19 June 2004.

Members of the new Commission will cooperate to secure a sustainable future for the Pacific tuna fishery. This cooperation will enable present and future economic and other benefits to flow to the Pacific islands. The Convention also seeks to achieve this in a way that will minimise the impacts of fishing including impacts on bycatch such as turtles and sharks, avoid pollution from fishing, and protect biodiversity.

Throughout the process of drafting the Convention and establishing the Commission the GEF has supported Pacific island countries through the Oceanic Fisheries Management component of UNDP-GEF support to implement the Pacific SIDS IW SAP. This support continues with the endorsement by the GEF CEO, Mr. Leonard Good on 25 May in Washington, DC of a second phase of assistance to support Pacific SIDS in the implementation of the Convention and the initial operations of the new Commission. The Pacific OFM II project implemented through UNDP will be executed by the FFA. The project includes:

i) work which will allow Pacific islands members of FFA to reform, restructure, realign and strengthen their national laws, policies, institutions and programmes to take up new opportunities which the WCPFC creates and discharge their new responsibilities under the Convention. These activities will be coordinated by the FFA Secretariat; and

ii) activities relating to stock assessment and scientific monitoring work that will contribute to a platform of knowledge about the status of regional stocks and the impact of fishing.

This work will also support initial phases of ecosystem analysis to characterize the Western Tropical Pacific Large Marine Ecosystem, including a new focus on seamounts which will involve the participation of the World Conservation Union (IUCN). Primary responsibility for the work under these activities will be assumed by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC).

The Pacific island members of the FFA are the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tokelau, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

For more information on the program, please, contact:

Barbara Hanchard, FFA Executive Officer/PDF B Project Coordinator,
Pacific Islands OFM Project,
barbara.hanchard@ffa.int