Drawing up strategies on how each member state of the Pacific Island Forum will benefit from its fisheries resources will be one of the five discussion topics for Pacific leaders next week.
Topics on discussion for the Pacific Island Forum leaders’ summit are;
1. Increase return from fisheries and maritime surveillance
2. Climate risk and disaster risk management
3. Information and communication technology
4. West Papua
5. Cervical cancer
The Pacific Ocean is the largest in the world and accounts for three thirds of the world’s tuna stock but this does not translate into revenue.
“The fisheries sector is worth US$3-4 billion but the region only regroup 5 per cent (from the sector) because all fisheries stock are processed off shore,” said Dame Meg Taylor, general secretary for the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS).
She said restructure in the fisheries industry and monitoring and compliance will be discussed with an objective to find a way forward for the PIF member nations.
“It is one of the only resources in the Pacific that we all own.”
The PIF Leaders summit will run from 07-09 September 2015.