Byline: Bernadette Carreon-Brooks

Two small island nations in the North Pacific are requesting the Australian government to host the upcoming Pacific Fusion Centre, which can assist North Pacific, and other Pacific island nations with the information they need to better identify and respond to security threats such as illegal fishing.

The Pacific Fusion Centre was announced in September 2018 by the Australian government to assist with security threats including drugs, illegal fishing, and people smuggling.

Palau and Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) would want the Centre located in their nations or at least in the North Pacific.

In a press statement in May, FSM President David W. Panuelo received George Fraser, ambassador of Australia and asked if the FSM could be the host for the upcoming Pacific Fusion Centre.

“The North Pacific needs more exposure [compared to the South Pacific],” said President Panuelo.

He said FSM’s commitment to the Technology for Tuna Transparency or T3 Challenge would be able to get help from the center.

The T3 Challenge seeks to acquire 100 percent transparency in its tuna fisheries by 2023.

Meanwhile, Palau made the same request with the visiting Australian officials on June 24.

Ms. Sophie Fisher of the Pacific Strategy Division of Australian Department of Foreign Affairs paid a courtesy call with the Vice President and Minister of Justice, Raynold Oilouch .

The Centre will facilitate sharing/exchange of information on transnational crimes and illegal fishing activities within the Pacific.

The Pacific will be equipped technologically and manned with properly trained people to analyse and interpret surveillance data and advice PIF countries to respond properly.

Earnest Ongidobel, Oilouch’s Chief of Staff, says the request also amplifies the wishes of North Pacific countries for Australia to give more focus to this side of the Pacific.

He added that the Centre would also complement the existing assistance it already receives from various allies in its surveillance efforts in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), especially as it closes 80 percent of its EEZ in commercial fishing by 2020.

Australia has not announced a location but has said it will be established in the middle of this year.

A statement from the Australian Embassy in Pohnpei said that: “Australia is working with regional partners to establish a Pacific Fusion Centre to strengthen the ability of Pacific governments to enforce their laws and protect their sovereignty.”

It said that as part of the pilot phase, an interim Centre will be established in Canberra in mid-2019 to “test the product and build regional analytical capacity ahead of the Centre’s establishment in a Pacific island country in 2020.”

The statement added that the Centre is also aligned with the vision of the Boe Declaration signed by the Pacific leaders and Australia in 2018 to address security challenges in the region including illegal fishing, people smuggling and drug trafficking. 

The embassy also noted that a regional Reference Group will provide guidance and advice on the design, establishment, and operationalisation of the Pacific Fusion Centre. The Group will include representation from Pacific countries, regional security organisations, Australia and New Zealand.

Sixteen students and three mentors are in the United States to engage in programs aimed at technology for managing sustainable fisheries, and monitoring and protecting fisheries resources.

The students are all from the Freely Associated States of Palau, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and Marshall Islands.

This is the first Freely Associated States Tuna Diplomacy Youth Leadership Program and it aims at” fostering regional cooperation among rising young leaders, and reinforcing the partnership of the United States with the countries of Micronesia to create shared prosperity for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific,” according to a statement from the US Embassy in Koror.

The three-week program, which started on June 7, is taking place in Oregon and is funded by the US State Department.

“The FAS leaders are preparing a future investment for their countries but it will be the young leaders of tomorrow who will see those efforts maximised and enforced. Now is the time for asking the future leaders of the FAS, What’s Next,” the statement added.

The tuna diplomacy program will arm the students with skills, motivation, and support as they discuss the long term sustainable management of their marine resources.

The US Embassy said a follow-on exchange program will take place, three or six months after the US program. It will focus on sustainable marine resource management, which will present at the Our Oceans 2020 Conference in Palau.

The students selected are high school juniors and seniors.  The program also includes students from the US to build important leadership skills and help save the oceans.

Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Kolonia said tuna is a shared common resource among the FAS countries.

In Palau, tuna provides local food security and helps keep the pressure off its coastal fisheries. On May 1, President Tommy Remengesau Jr. signed a presidential directive calling for a “national commitment to reduce pressure on the reef, promote locally produced foods, prioritise human wellness and healthful nutrition”.

For FSM and Marshall Islands, fisheries are the nations’ top economic driver.

Palau is highlighting the importance of tuna to local food security and to help keep the pressure off its coastal fisheries.

On May 1, President Tommy Remengesau Jr. signed a presidential directive calling for a “national commitment to reduce pressure on the reef, promote locally produced foods, prioritise human wellness and healthful nutrition”.

This is to be done by supporting a local pelagic fishery by serving pelagic fish like tuna at all government food service systems and at government and quasi-government events and functions.

In this tiny Pacific nation, where non-communicable diseases are high and gravely impact the health of the people, Remengesau said there is a need to enable the domestic market to increase local access to fish to improve nutrition.

The president said Palau is experiencing high rates of obesity (46.2%), overweight (30.8%), raised total cholesterol (25.8%), diabetes (20.4%), and other non-communicable diseases because of the preference to  consume imported meats and canned foods that are “cheap and nutritionally poor.”

He said tuna will help fill in the gap for a need to go back to traditional foods such as root crops and fish.

Reef fish in Palau is on the brink of being overfished and since studies have shown that tuna and tuna-like pelagic fish species are more resilient to fishing pressure due to their higher productivity and more extensive stocks, his government will set an example by choosing pelagics.

“Tuna means livelihood, economic security for Palau. We want to eat high-grade tuna and not rejects,” Remengesau said. 

Palau is sustaining key tuna species by closing almost 500,000 square kilometres of its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) to commercial fishing while increasing the amount of tuna allocated to consumption on the island.

Twenty percent of the EEZ is designated as a domestic fishing zone. Remengesau said Palau do not want to be left with tuna of lesser value but consume fish of higher-grade value.

The directive supports the local organisation, Palau Conservation Society’s (PCS) program ‘Choose Pelagics,’ which the president said is “a collaborative and cross-sectoral effort aimed at creating incentives to promote the development of a sustainable domestic pelagic fishery.”

Fabio Siksei, Program Coordinator of the PCS’ conservation and protected areas program said that based on their monitoring, restaurants in Palau mostly serve reef fish

“We try to create a market shift, try to shift that to pelagic,” Siksei said in an interview.

The program along with the Bureau of Marine Resources ongoing nationwide program for anchored fishing aggregating device (FADs) is supporting the artisan fisheries and addressing challenges faced by small scale fishermen.

“Palau continues to work with its local, regional, and international partners to develop alternative pelagic fisheries to support fishing livelihoods and food security through the expansion of a nationwide anchored FADs Network to help improve the feasibility of small-scale pelagic fishing,” Remengesau stated.

Last year, a study conducted by Nippon Foundation-UBC Nereus Program already brought to light the pressure that reefs are already experiencing. The study suggested that Palauans and tourists should eat fewer reef fish and recommended a policy that would  require reductions in fish consumption by both resident Palauans and visitors.

The study suggested that there should be a shift from “seafood consumption to open water fish, such as sustainably-harvested tuna, instead of reef fishes such as grouper, snapper, and parrotfish.”

Nadi- The Asian Development Bank on May 2 launched a USD$5 billion dollar action plan aimed at protecting the ocean, which includes efforts for an inclusive livelihood sustainable business opportunities in the fisheries industry.

The Action Plan for Healthy Oceans and Sustainable Blue Economies, announced during the annual meeting of its board of governors, expands financing and technical assistance for ocean health and marine economy projects to $5 billion from 2019 to 2024.

The action plan is also aimed at protecting and restoring coastal and marine ecosystems and key rivers; reducing land-based sources of marine pollution, including plastics, wastewater, and agricultural runoff; and improving sustainability in port and coastal infrastructure development.

ADB President Takehiko Nakao highlighted the importance of protecting marine ecosystems.  

“Healthy oceans are essential to our planet and for the millions of people in Asia and the Pacific, especially those who depend on oceans for their food and livelihoods,” Nakao said during the opening session of the board of governors meeting, May 3   

He said the oceans are in danger from increasing water temperatures, untreated wastewater and plastic pollution, and unsustainable fishing practices.

Nakao fears that if no action is taken against the damages in the ocean, by 2050, 90% of “the region’s coral reefs will be dead, and there will be no commercially exploitable wild fish stocks left.”

The action plan will also boost the blue economy, which provides USD 3.3 billion to the national economies of Pacific countries and territories.  

In line with the action plan, the organisation will launch the Oceans Financing Initiatives that will give opportunities for the private sector to invest in projects that will help improve ocean health.

The initiative will provide technical assistance grants and funding from ADB and other donors to reduce the technical and financial risks of projects. This will be done through instruments such as credit risk guarantees and capital market “blue bonds”.

Palau’s preparation to host the 2020 edition of the Our Oceans conference is underway. The conference will be a gathering of leaders to commit to actions related to sustainable fisheries marine protected areas, climate change, marine pollution, sustainable blue economy, and maritime security.

In hosting next year’s conference, the Republic of Palau will serve as the venue where experts, stakeholders, innovators, and entrepreneurs share the stage with global leaders in ocean conservation.

Palau President, Tommy Remengesau Jr. said in his State of the Republic Address (SORA) on April 25 that the hosting of 7th Our Ocean Conference on August 2020, “will be one of the largest events held in the region attracting high level government officials to major corporations and civil service organizations from around the world.”

Once the Palau National Marine Sanctuary law takes effect, commercial fishing on over 500,000 square kilometers or 80 percent of its maritime waters will be prohibited.

The remaining 20 percent of Palau’s seas will be reserved for domestic fishing.      

Rememegsau said that at the last conference held in Bali, Indonesia there were 305 tangible and measurable commitments amounting to USD$10.7 billion and comprising of 14 million square kilometres of Marine Protected Areas around the globe.

To help Palau host the event, over 900 commitments have been pledged by governments, NGOs, corporations, United Nations entities, academia, the scientific community, philanthropic organisations, individuals, and many others to address the plight of the world’s oceans. Together, they represent more than $28 billion in funding, technical and in-kind contributions, according to a briefing by the Our Oceans Committee in Palau to the members of Congress and the Executive Branch.

In a statement, the committee said, funding commitments have been from allied partners for the necessary infrastructure for the conference.

“The Our Ocean 2020 Conference will convene leaders from major countries and organisations who are global ocean champions to discuss and take action on issues and solutions…,” the Committee said in its update presentation.

Remengesau said Our Ocean Conference 2020 will focus on actions and results of prior commitments to protect the oceans.

He said that it is events “such as these with the aim of showcasing how such commitments have been translated into actions, that improve and enhance the lives of people in their respective countries.”