PINA

By Francisco Blaha If you were to speak about “IUU fishing” 10 or 15 years ago, only a few fish nerds would have known what you were saying. Even today, when there is much more known about it, it is still a complex concept to grasp. Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a broad term that captures a wide...

Over one hundred participants from twenty-two Pacific island countries and territories met this week at the thirteenth SPC Heads of Fisheries meeting, focusing on important topics and fisheries priorities for Pacific people. Enhancing scientific knowledge and technical tools to better serve members are key priorities for the coming years. Heads of Fisheries, senior fisheries managers, field officers, fisheries officers, donors,...

Some two billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been distributed globally but only 0.5 per cent have reached low-income countries where frontline health workers and the elderly have yet to receive a shot, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday. “This week, we’ll probably pass the two billion doses - if we have not already passed it…in terms of...

Heads of Government, religious leaders, activists and artists joined the United Nations on Friday in a rallying cry to heal the planet, launching the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. It calls for stepping up efforts to prevent, halt and reverse degradation of areas such as grasslands, forests, oceans and mountains, essential to all life on Earth. With humanity facing a “triple...

A Cook Islands man who has been on holiday in Rarotonga since 21 May, 2021 has tested positive for Covid-19, after requesting to be swabbed Friday evening. The alert level remains unchanged and the risk to public remains low, government says. The man who arrived in Auckland from Egypt on 05 May, 2021, and tested positive when in managed isolation...

Fiji has recorded an alarmingly high 83 new cases on Sunday, its highest daily figure yet. Ministry of Health and Medical Services permanent secretary Dr James Fong said the majority of those cases were from known clusters or areas already under containment or lockdown protocols. Those areas include Waila, CWM Hospital, IMT-HQ, IMT Warehouse, Caubati, Navy, Samabula, Shop N Save Supermarket,...

Samoa's Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) deputy leader Fonotoe Pierre Lauofo says no Government should be formed in Parliament until election-related legal issues have been sorted out of respect for the constitution. Fonotoe argues that the only way Samoa can have a constitutionally-aligned Government is to respect a Court of Appeal decision last Wednesday confirming that Parliament should be expanded...

The Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) is stepping up efforts to stop the dumping of plastic waste at sea in the western and central Pacific Ocean (WCPO). The agency has completed a consultancy study into ways of improving compliance with the rules. It focuses on plastic waste dumped by tuna fishing vessels. Since 1 January 2019, the central fisheries management...

Operation Tui Moana, a regional fisheries surveillance operation covering the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of Cook Islands, Fiji, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga and Tuvalu as well as associated high seas, marked 20 years of protecting this important Pacific resource. Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) Director of Fisheries Operations, Allan Rahari reflected that recognising the contribution of Operation Tui Moana...

International travel within OFC’s Member Associations continues to pose significant risks to the health and welfare of the Pacific community. Taking this into consideration, the OFC Executive Committee has agreed to a range of changes to the football calendar, including the cancellation of this year’s OFC Champions League. It will mark the second consecutive year that no winner of the Champions...