A forum to encourage broader stakeholder participation in oceanic fisheries management targeting civil society organisations (CSOs) is underway in Suva.

Forty CSO participants from Fiji and the region are a part of this two-day workshop, started yesterday at Tanoa Plaza Hotel in Suva.

This is facilitated by WWF-Pacific and the Pacific Islands Association of Non Governmental Organisations (PIANGO).

The CSO Round Table on Pacific Tuna Fisheries is a platform for Pacific CSOs to improve their levels of awareness and understanding on the current environmental, economic and social issues.

These issues are related to sustainably managing Pacific tuna fisheries.

WWF-Pacific’s Fisheries policy officer Duncan Williams said there has been some progress in collaboration between Pacific governments and tuna related agencies on the region’s tuna stocks and issues related to it.

However, he said little has been achieved in terms of engaging Pacific Island CSOs in this area.

“The Pacific’s fisheries industry is an important source of food security and a significant economic contributor for Pacific Island states economies,” Mr Williams said.

“And  its vital that Pacific CSOs are aware of the important role they play in ensuring fisheries policy-making bodies in the region are implementing management plans that are not only sustainable but socially responsible as well.

“Many Pacific CSOs know little of the mechanics of tuna fisheries in the Pacific and even fewer are engaged in the discussion on sustainable offshore fisheries development.”

Through this workshop, Mr Williams said they hope participants will realise that there are numerous cross-cutting issues with the tuna fisheries industry.

“There are social, economic, communications and environmental dimensions that merit engagement by CSOs,” he added.

Mr Williams said an objective of the workshop is to create open dialogue and identify opportunities for CSOs to include tuna fisheries management into their current areas of work.

Two-day forum

The two-day forum is held in support from the Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) OFMP II project.

It is expected to also create discussions on experiences associated with the tuna fisheries at national levels and identify challenges CSOs face in engaging with this sector, focusing on social, environmental and environmental issues.

The 13th Annual Session of the Western and Central Pacific Tuna Fisheries Commission (WCPFC 13) will be held in Nadi from 5-9 December.

The session would address among other things, problems in the management of high seas fisheries resulting from unregulated fishing, excessive fleet capacity, crew safety, unreliable databases.