BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele and the Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum said that the East New Britain initiative can be used as a tool to generate more income from the Tuna fisheries sector in the region and Solomon Islands.
PM Manele highlighted this during this year’s 54th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders (PIF) Troika Press Conference in Honiara.
Speaking of the Blue Pacific Ocean Strategy 2050, Tuna fisheries remain the region’s most valuable resource, valued at almost 5 billion USD annually, according to data, annually.
Speaking to the press, PM Manele said that tuna fisheries is a very important resource to the region and the Solomon Islands economy.
He told regional and local journalists that to elevate this sector in the region, including the Solomon Islands, initiatives such as the East New Britain must be utilised.
“I think you heard about this East New Britain initiative, where we can expand our fisheries so that we can get more value for money,” said PM Manele.
He said that through these initiatives, countries can process and export tuna to generate income to support their economies going forward.
“We can process our fish in-country, in the region, and we export it. Most likely, we will get more revenue going forward. If you look at the canneries, for example, they create jobs for us. We will have to expand on the fisheries plan, have value so that we can also create job opportunities for our people,” he said.
He also noted the challenges faced in the tuna fisheries sector.
“Of course, there are challenges in the tuna fisheries and the fisheries sector. This is not new; there are challenges in terms of fishing. So, through the Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), we continue to monitor, we have surveillance in terms of the region’s workers.
“Tuna fisheries are very important and so are coastal fisheries. Sometimes we do not value the impact on that, but our people in the rural areas also depend on coastal fisheries for their livelihoods and to generate income,” PM Manele said.
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