MIMRA ANNUAL REPORT 2019 1 Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority ANNUAL REPORT 2019 Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority, PO Box 860, Majuro, Marshall Islands 96960 Phone: (692) 625-8262/625-5632 • Fax: (692) 625-5447 • www.mimra.com 2 MIMRA ANNUAL REPORT 2019 MIMRA ANNUAL REPORT 2019 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Regional, local growth n the Marshall Islands, MIMRA that is paying dividends in educating the brings together a unique blend of Message from Sandy public about virtually unknown atolls, I domestic, regional and international Alfred, Chairman of the informing MIMRA coastal management issues and needs that involve manage- MIMRA Board of work, increasing collaboration with local ment, monitoring, conservation and Directors and Minister of and international partners who partici- development of our precious marine Natural Resources and pated in the survey, and setting the stage resources. Underpinning the ongoing for ongoing outer islands survey work to work of MIMRA in every area is a focus Commerce. establish baseline data on coastal marine and commitment to sustainable resources in the Marshall Islands. use of our resources, whether it is • The Marshall Islands joined coastal fisheries involving subsist- with FFA members to gain en- Message from MIMRA Board Chairman ence fishing or domestic commer- dorsement of a landmark reso- cial fishers, or oceanic fisheries lution on climate change at the Minister Sandy Alfred involving the multi-billion dol- Western and Central Pacific Fish- Page 3 lar tuna industry that operates in eries Commission annual meeting Parties to the Nauru Agreement in Papua New Guinea. It is the (PNA) waters and beyond. Our first recognition of climate im- Message from MIMRA Director commitment to sustainable ma- pacts within the WCPFC frame- Glen Joseph rine resources development and work. use is the foundation for ensuring • The Marshall Islands contin- Page 4 that our next generations can en- ued to benefit from its partnership joy the fruits of the marine envi- with the PNA, which altogether Coastal and Community Affairs ronment as we do today. netted an estimated $493.6 mil- Important work in 2019 that lion for the nine participating Page 6 will have long-term benefits for islands in 2019, the second high- improving management and sus- est-ever annual revenue figure Oceanic tainability of our resources in- from the VDS. Participation in cluded: PNA’s Vessel Day Scheme (VDS) Page 26 • The Marshall Islands was the first is- helped to drive MIMRA’s revenues to a land nation to sign an agreement with the BOARD MEMBERS new record, totaling over $35 million. Legal Affairs Forum Fisheries Agency to implement Chairman Minister of Natural The $29.1 million contributed to the aerial fisheries surveillance through a Resources and Commerce Sandy national budget of the Marshall Islands program funded by Australia and man- from VDS fishing revenue accounted for Page 44 Alfred, Vice-Chairman Minister aged by the FFA for the region. In- approximately 13 percent of the nation’s Jemi Nashion, Members Sena- creased aerial surveillance is essential to fiscal year revenues. tor Atbi Riklon, Stevenson Kotton, Finance and Corporate Affairs monitoring the vast exclusive economic • MIMRA’s Coastal Division is in- William Reiher, Anjanette Kattil, zone (EEZ) of the Marshall Islands. volved in a range of monitoring and Page 48 and Moriana Phillip. Outgoing • MIMRA moved into its new, state- survey work for ongoing and emerging Members: Chairman Dennis P. of-the-art headquarters building, giving coastal resource management issues Momotaro, Vice Chairman Bobby Atoll Survey ‘Milestone’ a boost to all programs within MIMRA. ranging from coral bleaching and cigu- Muller, Members Thomas Kijiner • MIMRA supported a groundbreak- atera fish poisoning to radiological mon- Page 52 Jr., Danny Wase, Saane Aho, Rina ing initiative by the FFA to protect crew- itoring of ocean water and the toxic con- members on commercial fishing vessels. Keju, Moriana Phillip (returned). tamination of reef fish in urban locations The initiative strengthened harmonized in Majuro and Kwajalein atolls. In addi- Photos: Francisco Blaha, Emma Kabua-Tibon, Lyla Lemari, Erin Feinblatt, Melba White, Kalena deBrum, Alicia minimum crew requirements for vessels tion, as part of furthering the Reimaan- Edwards, Marshall Islands Conservation Society, Eve Burns, Giff Johnson, Hilary Hosia, Karen Earnshaw. to attain fishing licenses. Pacific Fisheries Commission in promot- lok (Looking to the Future) Process, the ing the Marshall Islands call for an end Front cover photos: (Main photo) Coastal Division outreach session on Wotje Atoll as part of the • Oceanic Division staff updated both Coastal Division is developing the Pro- to illegal, unregistered and unreported Reimaanlok Process for development of a resource management plan; inset, top: Fish market survey MIMRA’s strategic plan and its tuna tected Areas Network, continuing to as- (IUU) fishing by 2023. completed in 2019 in partnership with Marshall Islands Conservation Society and University of Guam; management plan with the support of sist outer island communities to develop • MIMRA planned and carried out the inset, bottom: Reef survey at Ailinglaplap Atoll. Fisheries New Zealand. their resource management plans, and • At the Pacific Islands Forum annual first survey of two uninhabited northern assisting outer islands to develop and Back cover photos: Inset, left: Fish market survey completed in 2019 in partnership with Marshall Islands Leaders Meeting in Tuvalu, the Marshall atolls, Bikar and Taongi, to document expand aquaculture-related initiatives. Conservation Society and University of Guam; inset, right: Aquaculture tanks for growing seaweed and Islands joined with regional entities such marine life and biodiversity. This was other aquaculture products at MIMRA’s hatchery on Majuro. as the FFA and the Western and Central a major effort of the Coastal Division Sandy Alfred 2 MIMRA ANNUAL REPORT 2019 MIMRA ANNUAL REPORT 2019 3 Strategic changes show quality results nvestments — in capacity building, in fisheries development, in conser- I vation management — are starting to Message pay off. Our younger staff is taking on from Glen bigger roles in the organization, with Joseph, some achieving their graduate degrees in fields relevant to marine resources. We Director, continue to encourage their education for Marshall long-term benefits of the organization, Islands which translates into greater ability to Marine manage our coastal and oceanic fisheries Resources programs. MIMRA’s longstanding relationships Authority. with its many regional and international partners increase what we are able to ac- complish. Our partnership with the Par- ties to the Nauru Agreement has changed the game in management of the purse seine fishery to the benefit of the island resource owners, increasing 10-fold the financial benefits to the Marshall Islands over the past decade and leading to im- plementation of PNA’s effective, multi- layered management system known as the Vessel Day Scheme. Our work with Coastal Division Chief Emma Kabua-Tibon and Aquaculture Devel- the Forum Fisheries Agency, the Pacific opment Advisor Melba White prepare for a research dive during a Community (SPC), and the Western and voyage to rarely visited Bikar and Bokak atolls in late 2019. Central Pacific Fisheries Commission has elevated conservation management practices for tuna resources to ensure weights. These and other refinements in partnerships inject a wide-range of tech- tunities in the outer islands. Increasing catch levels remain at sustainable levels. data collection and analysis are ongoing nical resources to support and enhance the volume of giant clams, pearls and Similarly, more recently and particularly ‘MIMRA expanded and continued to improve in 2019. the work of MIMRA staff in many areas: ‘The milestone farmed fish will help stimulate great mar- in 2019, the World Bank, through its Pa- its networking inter- MIMRA expanded its networking in- island resources surveys, baseline stud- achievement of keting and export opportunities. cific Islands Regional Oceanscape Pro- nationally joining the ternationally joining the International ies of reefs and marine life, development completing re- The milestone achievement of com- ject (PROP) has partnered with MIMRA Monitoring, Control and Surveillance of aquaculture, and perhaps most im- pleting resource and mapping surveys to develop management and seafood International Moni- (MCS) Network and signing a coopera- portantly, assisting communities on our source and map- at the uninhabited atolls of Bikar and safety programs. The PROP project is toring, Control and tion agreement with the Department of remote outer islands to develop and im- ping surveys at the Bokak in the northern Marshall Islands supporting long-desired development of Surveillance (MCS) Fisheries in Thailand. Both of these ex- plement their own resource management uninhabited atolls in 2019 demonstrated MIMRA’s ability a “Competent Authority.” Momentum Network and sign- pand MIMRA’s links with key players in plans. This all comes under MIMRA’s of Bikar and Bokak to undertake valuable study work that on this picked up in 2019 with the hiring ing a cooperation the tuna management framework, pro- long-term Reimaanlok (Looking to the in 2019 demonstrat- will continue in other atolls. Ten years of staff and consultants to move forward viding both these partners and MIMRA Future) strategy for sustainable use of ago, MIMRA