Today, the 2^nd of May, marks  World Tuna Day. This year more than ever, the importance of celebrating Tuna , cannot be underestimated.

We see  globally,  economies shut down, the streets empty  and families in lock down at home, not just in New York,  but even in our  small island nations;  many of whom thankfully,   remain among the only nations in the world  still COVID  19 free, this  due in large part to self imposed border closures.

Due to the high vulnerabilities of small island developing states and their economies to the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the governments of the PNA + Tokelau nations have each implemented strict quarantine controls to ensure the safety of their peoples. This has seen airports and sea ports closed or seriously restricted.

As a result, PNA + have suspended the requirement of 100% observer coverage onboard all purse seine vessels in PNA waters. Globally, RFMOs and regional fishery bodies have taken similar actions.

   Majuro 26 April 2019: Innovative fisheries management has been the hallmark of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) since establishment of its office in the Marshall Islands in 2010, said the organization’s chief executive.

   “Thinking outside the box to benefit our islands as we strive for self-determination and control of our rights in our fishing zones has brought the PNA a long way the past 10 years,” said PNA CEO Ludwig Kumoru. “We still have a lot to accomplish and we need to keep challenging the status quo for our benefit.”

  Majuro 2 April 2019: Western and Central Pacific tuna stocks are all in healthy condition, reported scientists with the Pacific Community (SPC) at the recently concluded Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) Officials annual meeting in Palau.

   Majuro 6 March 2019: The Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) aim to continue advancing a broad range of fisheries management initiatives during a series of meetings scheduled for Palau in mid-March.

   A series of PNA technical meetings will be conducted from 11-17 March to prepare for the annual PNA Officials meeting from 18-22 March.

  Majuro 11 February 2019: A Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) working group meeting of legal and technical specialists that opens Wednesday in Majuro aims to complete drafting of a new PNA fish aggregating device (FAD) Tracking and Registration Measure.

   The three-day working group meeting that runs 13-15 February in the Marshall Islands follows on two one-day workshops in 2018 that initiated the drafting of the FAD measure.

   Majuro 25 January 2019: Expansion of the vessel day scheme (VDS) to cover longline fleets, development of new business plans to guide work of the Parties to the Nauru Office (PNAO), and stepped up management of fish aggregating devices are among key areas of work the PNAO and the Parties will focus on in 2019.

   “PNAO is moving to implement directives from our Ministers,” said PNA CEO Ludwig Kumoru. “2019 will see a great deal of work to strengthen the PNAO to increase the efficiency of management of the many elements of the vessel day scheme and the fishery as a whole.”

Honolulu 14 December 2018 — Pacific Islands fisheries leaders expressed satisfaction with the actions taken this week by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) to support sustainability of the fishery, minimum labor standards for fishing crews, and expanded participation of Small Island Developing States in the work of the Commission.

   Honolulu 13 December 2018 — Pacific Island fisheries leaders want the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission to effectively address a serious management gap in the tuna fishery: high seas tuna transshipments.

   The existing Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) measure governing transshipment was adopted in 2009 and is intended for review next year. 

   Honolulu 12 December 2018 — For decades, Pacific island fisheries officials were “driving blind” for lack of information on the commercial tuna fishery they were mandated to manage. Catch data, vessel locations, transshipment activity, use of fish aggregating devices, — this and more was controlled by fishing nations, with little information available to inform management decisions by island fisheries departments about their resources.