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Pacific nations agree to boost digital surveillance and cooperation to combat illegal fishing in regional waters.
Pacific nations are stepping up their fight against illegal fishing with new digital tools and stronger regional coordination, following a major fisheries meeting in Honiara last week.
The Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) brought together more than 100 fisheries officials and partners for its annual surveillance working group, where members agreed to launch a regional online monitoring platform and reviewed progress in cracking down on illegal activity at sea.
FFA’s Director of Fisheries Operations, Allan Rahari, said the digital shift is a vital step forward for the region.
“We’re not just talking about protecting tuna — we’re talking about protecting our economies, our food security, and our sovereignty,” he said.
The five-day meeting, held from March 31 to April 4, included representatives from all 17 FFA member countries as well as partners from organisations like the SPC, WCPFC, WWF Pacific, and Global Fishing Watch.
One key outcome was the agreement to develop a digital dashboard that will allow countries to track and report their surveillance and compliance efforts under the region’s five-year strategy.
The meeting also discussed ongoing aerial and satellite patrols, shared vessel registries, and coordinated high seas operations targeting rogue fishing vessels.
“We’ve made real progress,” said Malgram Dowabobo, the meeting chair and a senior fisheries officer from Nauru. “But there’s still work to be done — especially when it comes to formalising maritime boundaries and improving electronic reporting systems.”
The outcomes will be presented for endorsement at the Forum Fisheries Committee meeting in Niue this May.
Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing costs the region hundreds of millions of dollars each year. Pacific governments say stronger monitoring systems are essential to protect their marine resources from exploitation.
Source: FFA
