Fishermen at work in the hold of a purse seiner in the Marshall Islands. (file image) Photo: Francisco Blaha
Pacific Island nations are taking steps to combat labour abuses while promoting sustainability in their efforts to ensure a safer and fairer fishing industry.
The Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) recently held a workshop in Fiji, gathering government officials and industry leaders to address critical labour issues in the fishing industry.
This initiative comes at a time when New Zealand has committed nearly $50 million to support sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, announced by Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones.
The Fiji forum highlighted the urgent need to address labour abuses in the fishing sector, such as long hours, low pay, and dangerous working conditions.
The FFA's governing body, the Forum Fisheries Committee (FFC), has prioritised raising work standards in Pacific fisheries.
FFA director-general Dr Manu Tupou-Roosen said emphasised the importance of "collective action".
"As custodians of the vast Pacific Ocean, we may differ in resources, but our collective action can and will make a significant difference in improving working conditions across the fisheries sector.
"This priority was underscored by the FFC during the officials meeting earlier this year, and will be part of the agenda at the FFC Ministerial Meeting later this month."
The FFA has been working with international organisations, such as the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), to combat labour rights violations.
The FFA's governing body, the Forum Fisheries Committee (FFC), has prioritised raising work standards in Pacific fisheries. Photo: Shannon Service / Greenpeace
'Incredibly important resource'
Alfred "Bubba" Cook has spent the last 20 years working in fisheries conservation and management.
He joined the United States Navy's Nuclear Power Programme when he was 18 years old, which took him around the world and sparked an interest in global affairs and, especially, international fisheries.
He said that tuna is crucial to the Pacific because it is one of the major natural resources that provides income and nutrition and employment for a large proportion of the Pacific.
"It's an incredibly important resource from that respect, and no one understands the need for sustainability of the tuna resource better than the Pacific because if it goes away, one of their major revenue sources disappears along with it."
"I give the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency a lot of credit for advancing the initiative, they got behind it and established a harmonised terms and conditions for the 17 member states.
"It's not just precedent setting for the region, it's precedent setting for the world and I think that's the important aspect to consider is that once we see this conservation and management measure established in the western central Pacific, we expect that analogous measures will be applied throughout the world."
New Zealand's substantial financial commitment is expected to further bolsters these efforts.
The $50m package supports a range of initiatives aimed at maintaining healthy and productive fisheries in the Pacific.
"This support demonstrates New Zealand's commitment to assisting our Pacific partners to further develop and maintain the healthy and productive fisheries that are at the core of the region's prosperity and sustainability," Foreign Minister Winston Peters said.
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Jones announced the package at a regional ministerial fisheries meeting in Honiara, highlighting its importance for the resilience and sustainability of Pacific nations.
The package includes:
- $19.48m for country capacity and capability support
- $16.49m for regional capacity and coordination
- $7.15m for a new phase of MPI-led fisheries training program, Te Pātuitanga Ahumoana a Kiwa
- $4.63m for supporting data monitoring through the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission
- $948,000 for program support
Jones said there was a need for increased regional cooperation to counter the impacts of climate change, which threatens to shift tuna stocks out of the exclusive economic zones of some Pacific countries.
"Region-wide responses are increasingly important to sustain and improve the benefits of Pacific tuna," he said.
"These combined efforts by Pacific Island nations and New Zealand aim to create a sustainable and equitable fishing industry.
The initiatives not only benefit the workers and economies of Pacific Island nations but also address broader issues such as climate change resilience, marine conservation, and community development, ensuring a brighter future for the Pacific's vital fishing industry."