Solomon Islands Acting Prime Minister and minister for home affairs Manasseh Maelanga officially opens the 9th session of the ministerial forum fisheries committee meeting on Thursday in Honiara.
Speaking at the opening he said the region is in an era where these fisheries riches which the region has always been taken for granted is the subject of the world’s discussions and negotiations.
He said fisheries issue is at the top of the international agendas but the last healthy stocks of tuna in the world is present in the pacific waters.
Therefore something must be done by the regional leaders to manage these stocks, he said.
It is not what they can do for us but what we can do for them.
Our people both present and in the future whose livelihoods depends on this vast fisheries resources and to whom we are ultimately responsible have to manage these stocks to sustain the region into the future generations, Mr Maelanga stressed.
Minister Maelanga said Solomon Islands is taking steps to help ensure sustainability of fish stocks.
In 2011 we reviewed our longline fishery; one of the results was that we started reducing the number of longline licences. This is a big step for us to ensure sustainability of the stocks and the profitability of our fisheries.
He said government also put in place policies designed to maximise benefits from the region’s tuna resources.
Beginning in January 2012 all locally based foreign longline vessels were required to land a specified proportion of their catch for processing in Solomon Islands.
The proportion of catch that must be landed for onshore processing will increase each year.
This policy has led to the creation of about 800 jobs in Noro, the tuna capital of Solomon Islands. Noro has also become one of the busiest ports in Solomon Islands.
He said other jobs were created in Honiara at a new packing plant which exports sashimi-grade yellowfin and bigeye tuna to Japan and the United States.
And other locals are now employed on foreign long-line vessels.
Some of the top regional fisheries ministers and government official attended the opening yesterday.
2013 Solomon Star News