On November 30, 2020, Bureau of Marine Resources (BMR) and Ebiil Society announced the first successful breeding of sea cucumber in the lab in Palau. Sea cucumber (Molech), is one of the local seafood species of high cultural and economic value, especially among Palauan fisherwomen.
A Lord Howe chief has called on the Ministry of Fisheries to return the beche-de-mer that were confiscated on Tuesday night this week back to the owners.
Samoa has long recognised the Pacific Ocean as a source of social and economic benefit which has sustained its communities for generations. The ocean remains a primary resource for food and livelihoods that requires responsible stewardship. As a large ocean state, Samoa requires tools, resources and planning to effectively manage its vast ocean area. The Samoa Ocean Strategy (SOS) outlines a pathway towards sustainable management of Samoa’s ocean and marine resources.
To the untrained eye they look like worms, but Samoans know these marine creatures as palolo, and they are revered as the caviar of the South Pacific.
As COVID-19 continues to send shockwaves through the global economy, IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, in collaboration with Inspire Impact, is hosting a landmark discussion on investment opportunities in the Pacific Blue Economy, including why the sustainable use of oceans must be cent
With reports of increased pressure on Fiji’s inshore fisheries due to the COVID-19-induced economic fallout, experts have renewed calls for stronger management of the resource, which was already vulnerable due to overfishing, outdated regulations and pollution.
The Locally Managed Marine Area (LMMA) Network has launched an ambitious €4.4 million (US$5.1 million) project in partnership with the Pacific Community (SPC), aiming to bring decades of learning from community-based marine management efforts to scale in the Pacific Islands.
The exporting of Tonga’s sea cucumber began in the 1980s. A number of moratoriums were enforced to enable sea cucumber resources to be replenished. In 2009 it was estimated that $12 million pa'anga worth of sea cucumber was exported from Tonga.
Fiji's government has lifted the seasonal ban on the harvest, sale and consumption of Coral Trout and Grouper, or Donu and Kawakawa, early. The Fisheries Ministry said the decision to suspend the ban was made to alleviate the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Suva has become one of the main hot spots for marine pollution in terms of the amount of microplastic in our waters, and researchers have now found high levels of microplastic in seafood from these areas.
