New Zealand's Prime Minister John Key says fisheries management is critically important for Pacific nations, and he expects it to dominate talks at the Pacific Islands Forum.
Mr Key is in Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia for the talks, where climate change and West Papua will also be on the agenda.
Last year the New Zealand Government pledged $US36 million to support fisheries management in the region and so far about $US21 million has been allocated.
Mr Key said fisheries were the largest resource in the region.
"It's worth over billions of dollars, largely tuna fisheries, and so the big threat of course for Pacific nations is illegal fishing in their waters and unauthorise fishing.
"I think long term one of the issues is also sustainability," he said.
Prime Minister John Key after landing in Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia. Photo: RNZ / Chris Bramwell
At last year's Forum summit, leaders resolved to request Indonesia to allow it to send a fact-finding mission to Papua.
However the Forum secretary-general Dame Meg Taylor said Jakarta had not allowed this to go ahead.
The Forum's annual gathering is also expected to discuss increasing its membership by adding two French territories on the UN decolonisation list.
Both New Caledonia and French Polynesia have been vying for years to be granted full membership, which since the organisation's inception, was meant to be for independent countries only.