Solomon Islands calls for global action to protect aquatic food systems at UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France
Nice, France – Wednesday, June 11, 2025 – Solomon Islands Minister for Fisheries and Marine Resources, Bradley Tovosia, told world leaders at a UN Ocean Conference side event today that protecting aquatic food systems is not just sound policy—it is a matter of survival for Pacific communities.
Speaking at the high-level CGIAR and WorldFish event, “Leveraging Aquatic Food Systems to Restore Oceans – Good for People, Good for Planet,” Minister Tovosia emphasized that sustainable fisheries and aquaculture are not aspirations but essential lifelines for his people.
Representing the Solomon Islands Government, Tovosia described a nation whose identity, nutrition, and resilience are closely tied to the ocean. With fish serving as the primary source of protein for the country’s 700,000 people—over 85% of whom live in rural areas—the stakes are particularly high as climate impacts intensify.
“Rising seas, bleaching reefs, shifting tuna stocks — our communities are already feeling the pressure. When disaster strikes, it’s our coastal fisheries that keep people fed. But now, those safety nets are fraying,” he said.
Tovosia highlighted the Solomon Islands’ Community-Based Resource Management (CBRM) approach as a global model—a grassroots strategy that empowers Indigenous communities to manage marine resources by combining traditional knowledge with modern science.
The government’s 2021–2025 Community-Based Coastal and Marine Resource Management Strategy supports this effort through training, facilitation, and planning tools. It is underpinned by the Fisheries Management Act, which allows communities to formalize and enforce their own fisheries management plans. Integrated social protection mechanisms aim to build resilience and promote sustainable practices.
“We are not waiting for solutions to come from somewhere else. We are acting — and our communities are leading the way. But we cannot do this alone. Climate change, illegal fishing, biodiversity loss — these are global threats, and they require a global response.”
The event also marked 40 years of partnership between WorldFish and the Solomon Islands, highlighting the new Nusatupe Innovation Hub—a center for advancing sustainable island food systems grounded in Pacific culture, collaboration, and innovation.
Minister Tovosia joined leaders from Canada, France, Indonesia, Senegal, and Côte d’Ivoire in pledging continued support for sustainable ocean solutions ahead of the next phase of the UN Ocean Decade.
“The ocean does not separate us — it connects us. And it’s time we act together to protect it.”
SOURCE : PMO PRESS
