Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment (MAFE) Steven Victor invited two members of the Senate to join the ministry delegation to attend the upcoming annual Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) meeting.
Since the pandemic, this will be the first in-person meeting of WCPFC members, cooperating non-members, participating territories, private institutions, and NGOs will gather to discuss agenda items that are aimed at ensuring the sustainability of the tuna stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean.
According to Min. Victor’s invitation stated that the meeting would be an opportunity for the senators “to have exposure to and to gain an understanding of the nature and the dynamics of tuna fisheries management in the Pacific.”
WCPFC sets fishing rules for migratory fish, particularly tuna. Its meetings bring the resource-owning states of the Pacific together with global fishing powers to agree on ways to protect and maintain fish stocks.
The meeting held from Nov. 27 to Dec. 3 will be in Vietnam.
Minister Victor said the meeting will also hold the Senate “contextualize negotiation strategies as it pertains to conservation management measures, determining how much tuna can be harvested to help sustain their populations.” (Island Times)