PINA

Fiji’s Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka called for a united front among Western and Central Pacific nations to manage their tuna resources, even suggesting the formation of a “tuna OPEC” to wield greater influence in the global market. At the official opening of the 21st Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) Thursday, Rabuka emphasised the critical importance of sustainable tuna...

Rhea Moss-Christian, the executive director of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) has called for urgent action to address the impacts of climate change and human rights abuses in the fishing industry at the opening of the commission's 21st annual session in Suva this morning. Speaking before an audience of government ministers, delegates, and stakeholders, Moss-Christian emphasised the...

Fiji's Minister of Fisheries, Alitia Bainivalu has stressed the importance of incorporating traditional knowledge and practices into fisheries management strategies at the 21st Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) meeting in Suva, Fiji. Bainivalu said Pacific Island nations have with the deep relations with the ocean and emphasised the need to learn from ancestral wisdom to ensure sustainable fisheries...

The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) opened its 21st annual meeting today with Chairwoman Dr Josie Tamate, emphasising the critical importance of sustainable marine resource management in the Pacific region. Dr Tamate highlighted the region's significant global impact with the Western and Central Pacific Ocean providing over 50 percent of the world's tuna supply - a multi-billion-dollar industry...

By Nic Maclellan It began five years ago, as an exercise amongst law students at the Emalus campus of the University of the South Pacific in Port Vila, Vanuatu. Now, in the Netherlands, the Republic of Vanuatu will open presentations before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on 2 December, seeking an advisory opinion on climate change and human rights. The ICJ...

Torn between the defenders of the world’s seabeds and industrialists eager to exploit the vast, untapped resources of the deep, the international community faces a crucial year that could decide the future of mining in the high seas. “It feels like a real crunch point,” Louisa Casson of Greenpeace International told AFP. “We are seeing surging momentum for a moratorium (on...

Pacific Article 19 watchdog, the Pacific Freedom Forum (PFF) has expressed ‘grave concerns’ over free expression and the rights of GBV survivors following the 23 November 2024 arrest and charging of a journalist under the Papua New Guinea’s Cybercrime Act. Media specialist and GBV activist Hennah Joku was arrested, charged with two counts of breaching the National Cybercrimes Act, detained...

The Western Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) has embraced innovative communication tools to enhance its operations, underlining the importance of effective information-sharing in managing the world’s largest tuna fishery. WCPFC Executive Director Rhea Moss-Christian highlighted the transformative role of technology showcasing how artificial intelligence (AI) has been utilised to expand outreach during a recent address at FFA’s WCPFC Communications Training...

Tuna industry body International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) is urging delegates at the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission’s(WCPFC) annual meeting in Fiji to improve their control over fisheries by strengthening vessel oversight and improving tuna conservation measures for long-term sustainability. ISSF stresses the need to adopt electronic monitoring standards, and better manage transshipment to improve data collection and prevent...

Fiji’s former prime minister and police chief appeared in public with a businessman tied to China’s Communist Party even after being briefed that he was suspected of playing a senior role in local organised crime, according to confidential documents and police sources. Fijian police sources and an internal briefing obtained by OCCRP show that as early as 2020 law enforcement...