Suva, Fiji (August 20, 2014) — A group of senior Pacific island journalists was briefed on tuna industry developments during a two-day workshop that concluded Tuesday in Suva, Fiji.

Jointly sponsored by the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) and the Pew Charitable Trusts, the workshop featured talks from tuna industry representatives, fisheries managers and eco-label officials who monitor sustainability standards in the PNA’s skipjack tuna fishery.

“Pacific-based journalists are telling some of the most powerful stories about tuna and it's value to this region,” said Adam Baske, manager of global tuna conservation for The Pew Charitable Trusts, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C. “Providing local press with access to leading experts and listening to reporters in order to find out what they need to better cover tuna issues only helps to ensure these stories are even more impactful.”

Under the theme, “The value and economics of Pacific tuna,” journalists from seven countries engaged in discussion and debate on issues surrounding the industry, including status of tuna stocks, concern by fisheries managers that some Asian nations are not providing operational catch data essential to accurate stock assessments, how policies of government and regional fisheries organizations affect the tuna industry, and how PNA management of the purse seine skipjack fishery has resulted in a four-fold increase in revenues flowing to the eight member nations. These central and western Pacific nations control waters where over half of the world’s supply of skipjack tuna is caught.

“Tuna is of huge importance to Pacific islanders,” said Dr. Transform Aqorau, the PNA CEO who participated in the two-day meeting with journalists. “It is not only the financial value of the fishery and increasing revenue that the PNA is generating for its members. Tuna is the lifeblood of islanders who depend on a healthy fishery for food security.”

PNA has been a leader in implementing conservation measures that have the two-fold impact of maintaining tuna stocks for the long-term and increasing the value of the fishery for the islands by limiting fishing effort, Dr. Aqorau said.

“The public needs to be aware of the tuna industry’s impact on island economies and sustainable development,” he said. “Increasing the media’s access to representatives of industry and the PNA is the best way to get this story out to the public.”

This is the second workshop on tuna that PNA has sponsored for journalists in the Pacific. “The media helps to bring transparency and accountability to the actions of the tuna industry and fisheries policy decisions that impact our island economies and the health of tuna stocks,” Dr. Aqorau said. “I was delighted to have been able to participate in this two-day workshop and to engage with the media representatives present.”

Journalists from Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Pohnpei, Marshall Islands, the Northern Marianas, Fiji and New Zealand attended the workshop.