New Zealand Boosts Support for Pacific Fisheries

New Zealand announced on Tuesday increased funding and support for Pacific fisheries, aiming to boost economic returns from tuna and strengthen regional sustainability efforts. The Pacific region supplies more than half of the world’s traded tuna but does not always receive a fair return, New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement. New Zealand’s Minister for Oceans and Fisheries, Shane Jones, announced the increased funding for the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) at the opening of the 25th Forum Fisheries Committee Ministerial Meeting in Wellington, marking the first time the country has hosted the meeting in 18 years. The additional support from New Zealand will help the FFA combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, build national capacity, and ensure the long-term sustainability and integrity of the region’s fisheries resources, Jones said. New Zealand will also support the Pacific Islands Tuna Ventures Programme, which promotes higher-value utilisation of tuna, including converting previously discarded tuna by-products into pet food, fertiliser and other food products, the statement noted. Jones said fisheries are vital to many Pacific economies and food security, noting that widely dispersed tuna stocks require coordinated regional management.