MIMRA ANNUAL REPORT 2018 1 Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority ANNUAL REPORT 2018 Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority, PO Box 860, Majuro, Marshall Islands 96960 Phone: (692) 625-8262/825-5632 • Fax: (692) 625-5447 • www.mimra.com 2 MIMRA ANNUAL REPORT 2018 MIMRA ANNUAL REPORT 2018 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Marshall Islands promotes IUU-free region by 2023 everal important initiatives for re- more fully engage in the commercial tuna gional and domestic fisheries con- Message from Dennis industry “value chain.” PNA’s “vessel S servation and management were Momotaro, Chairman day scheme” (VDS) revolutionized is- launched in and by the Marshall Islands of the MIMRA Board of land management of and engagement in in 2018. The essential message is that Directors and Minister of the purse seine fishery since it went into although our small islands lack the re- play in 2010. The VDS is a platform that sources of distant water fishing nations, Natural Resources and allows greater participation by individual we must actively engage in all aspects Commerce. PNA members or groups of islands. At the of managing commercial tuna fisheries moment, the Marshall Islands, through Message from MIMRA Board Chairman in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean MIMRA, sells several thousand fishing Minister Dennis Momotaro and our own domestic marine resources. days annually to fishing companies, sales If we don’t properly manage our fisher- that generate around $25 million annu- Page 5 ies resources, we will lose out on benefits ally. MIMRA is looking to move beyond from these fisheries and maintaining fish- simply selling fishing days to engaging in Message from MIMRA Director ing at sustainable levels will become a the entire tuna value chain from catch to major concern. processing — all of which contribute a Glen Joseph Among the important actions during piece of the multi-billion dollar value of 2018: the tuna industry in the Pacific. Pages 6 and 7 • President Hilda Heine challenged the • On the domestic front, we are con- region to end illegal, unreported and un- tinuing to promote our National Oceans Coastal and Community Affairs regulated (IUU) fishing by 2023. Presi- Policy and Implementation Plan for sus- dent Heine issued the call to action at the tainable management of coastal fisheries. Page 8 end of the 14th Technical and Compliance The Reimaanlok (Looking to the Future) Committee meeting in Majuro in early BOARD MEMBERS program involves outer island leaders Oceanic October. “IUU has devastating conse- and communities in developing marine quences,” the President said. “It is organ- Chairman Minister of Natural Re- resource management plans for their Page 26 ized crime that affects socio-economic sources and Commerce Dennis P. islands. It continued to reach out to re- growth and future generations.” The Mar- Momotaro, Vice-Chairman Bobby mote island communities in 2018. We are Legal Affairs shall Islands is working with the Forum Muller, Tommy Kijiner, Jr., Danny happy to see the giant clam hatcheries in Fisheries Agency, the Parties to the Nauru Wase, Moriana Philip, Sa’ane Arno and Likiep atolls back in action and Page 38 Agreement, the Western and Central Pa- Aho’, and Rina Keju. Outgoing helping to generate a portion of Marshall cific Fisheries Commission, individual board members in 2018: Attorney Islands exports to overseas aquarium mar- countries and others for action to end IUU General Filimon Manoni and late kets. Finance and Corporate Affairs fishing in our region. Foreign Secretary Bruce Kijiner. • MIMRA’s Coastal Division is in- Page 42 • The Marshall Islands hosted the volved in addressing ongoing an emerging second Parties to the Nauru Agreement coastal resource management issues rang- (PNA) Leaders Summit in Majuro in ear- another essential step in the evolution of ing from coral bleaching and ciguatera MIMRA’s New Home ly March. This meeting sharpened PNA’s PNA’s rights-based management of tuna fish poisoning to radiological monitoring goals and focus on management issues fisheries. If we do not own our own fisher- of ocean water and the toxic contamina- Page 46 such as management of fish aggregating ies data, we cannot hope to properly man- tion of reef fish at the US Army Garrison, devices (FADs), ending high-seas bunker- age the fishery. Kwajalein Atoll base headquarters. ing (refuelling), and expanding the suc- • Collaboration between PNA and FFA In 2018, MIMRA contributed $29.4 cessfully implemented vessel day scheme is increasing, which benefits conservation million to the national budget of the for purse seiners to the longline fishing and management in the region. In addi- Marshall Islands from its VDS fishing industry. Each of these policy decisions tion, the Marshall Islands sees a greater revenue. This amounted to 13 percent of have important conservation and manage- level of cooperation with FFA members national government revenue, underlining ment impact on tuna fisheries, and also re- by a number of fishing nations engaged in the critical importance of effective con- duce opportunities for illicit activity such the WCPFC process over the past year. In servation and management measures to Cover photos: Francisco Blaha. as trafficking in persons and smuggling. this regard, Japan stands out for its will- ensure the fishery is sustainably managed • PNA’s decision to buy the Fisheries ingness to consult FFA nations on fisher- for long-term benefits. Inside and back cover photos: Francisco Blaha, Lyla Lemari, Emma Kabua-Tibon, Karen Earnshaw, Information Management System (FIMS) ies management initiatives and proposals. Melba White, Rebecca Lathrop, Kelly Lorennij, Benedict Yamamura, and Jessie Capelle. from the company that developed it is • MIMRA has begun taking steps to Dennis Momotaro 4 MIMRA ANNUAL REPORT 2018 MIMRA ANNUAL REPORT 2018 5 Sustainable policies the key to success IMRA continued to make ate value — revenue — from the tuna progress on both coastal and resource at every stage in the process oceanic fisheries manage- Message New Deputy from catch to processing. MIMRA’s M Director, ment in 2018. MIMRA’s marine re- from Glen concept for fuller participation is in line sources management work continued to Joseph, Coastal, with rights-based management, which expand as resource sustainability — for Florence is what the PNA group has brought to Director, food security and revenue generation Edwards the purse seine fishery and is now devel- — became increasingly important in Marshall with continu- oping for the longline industry. PNA’s light of pressure on tuna and coastal re- Islands ing Deputy VDS is the tool that allows us to engage sources from over-exploitation, climate Marine Director, fully in the purse seine fishery. change and pollution. Resources Oceanic, The decision to implement a VDS for Samuel the longline industry was first endorsed As MIMRA’s revenue base continued Authority. its multi-year expansion, our financial Lanwi, Jr. in 2015 when a majority of the nine par- management and accountability con- ticipating islands in the PNA agreed to tinued to improve: In FY2018, De- the plan. Over the ensuring three years loitte auditors reported that they “did more joined and by the end of 2018, all not identify any deficiencies in internal nine islands in the PNA agreed to imple- control that we consider to be material ment the longline VDS. The solidarity weaknesses.” The audit also confirmed of the entire PNA for VDS management there were no instances of non-compli- of the longline industry is a major de- ance with laws, regulations, contracts velopment for improving management and grant agreements. Finally, there of tuna resources in the region. As with were no unresolved audit findings from the VDS for purse seiners, it can be ex- the previous year. All of this testifies to pected that implementation of the VDS MIMRA maintaining high standards of for longline vessels will take several accountability. years to fully enforce. Our enforcement and legal team in- eries at Arno and Likiep atolls were Kwajalein Island and nearby small is- In 2018, MIMRA took steps to initi- renovated and upgraded, with new lands, coral bleaching events, and cigu- ate the establishment of the first “Com- stituted a number of fines on fishing ‘The Fisheries vessels that violated fishing rules and ‘Among a stocks and renewed production efforts. atera fish poisoning are among a range petent Authority” in the Marshall Is- regulations governing treatment of fish- variety of projects, MIMRA gained valuable support from of issues needing research and study that Information lands. Once in place, a Competent eries observers. Observers and enforce- our Coastal Japan’s Overseas Fishery Cooperation is driven by the Marshall Islands. Management Authority can facilitate fish exports to the European Union, the world’s largest ment officers managed and documented Division is working Foundation for maintaining services for This Coastal Division work is in System is outer island fishers through the opera- line with and implements the National seafood market. A Competent Author- the heavy flow of tuna through Majuro, to produce atoll instrumental for the world’s busiest tuna transshipment tion of the fish markets at Majuro and Ocean Policy adopted by government ity is an entity that provides independ- port. In 2018, Majuro saw 402 trans- profiles that will Kwajalein, which operate transport during the year, following the First Na- MIMRA’s ent verification through inspections of shipments moving 306,796 tons of tuna allow marine re- vessels that bring reef fish and produce tional Oceans Symposium in 2017. management of vessels and processing plants, labora- tory testing, and catch documentation from purse seine vessels to carrier ves- source managers to from the outer islands to the two fish In the Oceanic Division, MIMRA is the vessel day markets for sale. utilizing PNA’s Fisheries Information to confirm that tuna catches for export sels for onward transport to processing appreciate unique scheme (VDS) plants.