Honolulu 7 December 2018 — Pacific Island fisheries leaders are calling on members of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) to adopt a resolution to ensure conditions for crew on fishing vessels meet international minimum standards.

   Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) members, with the support of members of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA), are proposing adoption of a resolution on fishing vessel crew labor standards to the WCPFC annual meeting next week in Honolulu.

   Honolulu 7 December 2018 — Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean is being targeted for elimination like never before following calls by Pacific Leaders for “action to end illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing and associated activities.”

   Honolulu 3 December 2018 — Following the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) officials session Sunday, the Forum Fisheries Agency opened its four-day briefing Monday in Honolulu for fisheries officials in preparation for the upcoming Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission annual meeting.

   At the opening session for officials from the 17 member Pacific islands, FFA Director General Manu Tupou-Roosen welcomed PNA CEO Ludwig Kumoru and PNA Office staff participation in briefing session.

   Honolulu 2 December 2018 — Tuna resource owners from the Pacific islands met Sunday as part of internal preparation for the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) meeting from December 10-14 in Honolulu.

   Majuro 29 November 2018 — With fish aggregating devices (FADs) playing an increasingly important role in the purse seine fishery in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean, the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) is stepping up its FAD management and tracking program.

The Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) have been considering measures at a workshop in Honiara to strengthen the management of fishing on Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) in PNA waters and the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) more widely. 

   Majuro 25 November 2018 — With next month’s annual meeting of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) facing numerous challenges and opportunities to improve fisheries management, the head of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) said the foundation of success in the region is “rights-based management” that has been implemented by Pacific islands.

Awards:

• $3,000 (USD) cash prize award to one first place winner. The winner’s work will be posted on the PNA and Pacifical websites.
• $500 (USD) cash prize awards to two runners-up. The runners-ups’ work will be posted on the PNA and Pacifical websites.

Judging Criteria:

Upon receiving news that PNA MSC free-school skipjack and yellowfin fisheries will be recertified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), PNA CEO Ludwig Kumoru responded that it is “great news,” but reflected that “It was inconceivable that the Independent Adjudicator ruling could have ever been otherwise. Even so, this is a big weight off our shoulders, not least financially, for our small economies.

   Majuro, Marshall Islands 26 December 2017: The CEO of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) sees the outcomes of the annual meeting in Manila earlier this month of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) as mixed.