Pacific Perspectives on Fisheries and Sustainable Development
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Pacific Perspectives 2014 PACIFIC PERSPECTIVES ON FISHERIES AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PACIFIC PERSPECTIVES ON FISHERIES AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT A PB The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is the regional development arm of the United Nations and serves to foster cooperation between its 53 members and 9 associate members. ESCAP provides the strategic link between global and country-level programmes and issues. It supports Governments of the region in consolidating regional positions and advocates regional approaches to meeting the region’s unique socio-economic challenges in a globalizing world. The ESCAP headquarters is located in Bangkok, Thailand. The shaded areas of the map are ESCAP Members and Associate members The ESCAP Pacific Office (EPO) strengthens the United Nations’ regional presence, development programmes and interventions in the Pacific. EPO provides focused and in-depth technical assistance to address key development challenges, including capacity-building activities; and serves as a catalyst to further the analytical and normative work of ESCAP in the Pacific. ESCAP has 21 Members and Associate Members in the Pacific: Australia, American Samoa, Cook Islands (the), Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands (the), Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands (the), Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. PACIFIC PERSPECTIVES 2014 Pacific Perspectives on Fisheries and Sustainable Development PACIFIC PERSPECTIVES ON FISHERIES AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT i B Pacific Perspectives 2014, Pacific Perspectives on Fisheries and Sustainable Development Authored by Robert Gillet Publication prepared by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific Pacific Office August, 2014 Manufactured in Fiji Copyright @ United Nations 2014 ISBN 978-982-91410-2-6 ii PACIFIC PERSPECTIVES ON FISHERIES AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT iii Acknowledgements The publication is based on a report prepared by Robert Gillett, with modifications made by the ESCAP Pacific Office. It was prepared with guidance from Tim Westbury under the supervision of Iosefa Maiava, Head of the ESCAP Pacific Office. Substantive inputs were received from David Smith and Atu Emberson-Bain. Overall guidance was provided by Shamshad Akhtar, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of ESCAP, and Shun- ichi Murata, Deputy Executive Secretary of ESCAP. The report was circulated to all members of UN-Oceans for comment, and the report team is grateful to our United Nations colleagues for their time. Amanda Davies provided proofreading, while Leba Petersen and Patricia Momoivalu provided administrative support. The graphic design was done by Pasifica Communications. PACIFIC PERSPECTIVES ON FISHERIES AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT iii ii Foreword Healthy oceans and seas are vital to sustainable development, for both current and future generations. The strong support for a dedicated sustainable development goal on oceans, seas and marine resources is evidence of the importance placed by the global community on the conservation and sustainable management of oceans and seas, both in areas of national jurisdiction and as a global common good. Pacific Perspectives on Fisheries and Sustainable Development has been prepared by ESCAP to contribute to the dialogue about strengthening approaches to coastal and off-shore fisheries management in the Pacific to better support sustainable development. Pacific small island developing states face significant structural challenges to economic growth and sustainable development. These combine with the impacts of global climate change and ocean acidification to threaten almost every dimension of development in the Pacific islands. In this context, fisheries remain the most important ocean resource for livelihoods, employment, nutrition and opportunities for economic growth in the Pacific subregion. Fisheries can, for example, play an important role in domestic resource mobilisation for public investment in sustainable development, through access fees for instance, that fairly compensate Pacific countries for the exploitation of their valuable resources. The promotion of regional connectivity and knowledge-based economies to enhance regional competitiveness are key priorities in our efforts to promote economic diversification across the region. Asia and the Pacific is already a highly connected region, but much more can be done to ensure and sustain the benefits of connectivity between Pacific island countries and territories with wider Asia. The significance of Asian markets for fisheries products, including the Bangkok Tuna Market as well as the growing demand and direct involvement in Pacific fisheries of East Asian markets, demonstrates the important interdependence of communities across the Asia-Pacific region on the sustainable management of Pacific fisheries. The Rio+20 outcome reaffirmed the need for sustainable development to be guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, including the rule of law and good governance, which are critical enabling conditions for the post-2015 development agenda. Sustainable management of fisheries must be built on the effective implementation of these important principles. Strong national and sub-regional governance, including bold leadership, will be central to the management of shared ocean resources based on solidarity and common interest. This publication begins with an analysis of Pacific island fisheries, including technical aspects of coastal and off- shore fisheries. This will provide a useful baseline to inform the regional policy dimensions of fisheries and sustainable development which follow. Better managed and more sustainable fisheries will make a valuable contribution to food security as well as to better livelihoods and sustainable development in the Pacific, as we advance the post-2015 development agenda. Dr. Shamshad Akhtar Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific iv PACIFIC PERSPECTIVES ON FISHERIES AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT v Contents Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................................... v List of Boxes, Figures and Table ....................................................................................................................3 Acronyms ....................................................................................................................................................5 Executive Summary .....................................................................................................................................7 1. Background .............................................................................................................................................1 2. General information on Pacific island fisheries ...........................................................................................2 3. Institutional and policy arrangements .....................................................................................................16 4. Major fisheries issues and challenges in the region ...................................................................................22 5. Interaction between fisheries and other fields ...........................................................................................46 6. Key issues for improving the sustainable returns from fisheries resources ...................................................53 List of References ......................................................................................................................................58 Appendix 1: Important species of tuna in the region and recent assessments .................................................63 Appendix 2: Constraints in the development of tuna industries .......................................................................65 Appendix 3: Characteristics of Pacific island regional organizations involved in fisheries ...................................67 Appendix 4: Useful references ....................................................................................................................69 Appendix 5: Main tuna fishing gear in the Pacific islands ..............................................................................71 PACIFIC PERSPECTIVES ON FISHERIES AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT v iv Acronyms ACP African, Caribbean and Pacific ADB Asian Development Bank EEZ exclusive economic zone ESCAP Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific FAD fish aggregating device FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FFA Forum Fisheries Agency GDP gross domestic product IUU illegal, unreported and unregulated Mt metric ton MPA marine protected area NGO non-governmental organization PIFS Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat PNA Parties to the Nauru Agreement SPC Secretariat of the Pacific Community SPREP Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund USP University of the South Pacific VDS Vessel Day Scheme WCPFC Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission WCPO Western and Central Pacific Ocean vi PACIFIC PERSPECTIVES ON FISHERIES AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT vii List of Boxes, Figures and Table Boxes 2.1 Pacific