Solomon Islands: Report Highlights Fisheries Management Methods

The Solomon Islands Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources has been precluded from planning appropriate management of offshore fisheries due to a lack of updated laws and a tuna management plan to address regional fisheries resources.

The report, called "Managing sustainable fisheries (tuna fisheries) in Solomon Islands Fisheries Exclusive Economic Zone," also confirms suspicions regarding the value of licensing fees and undervalued fish catches in the Solomons.

"Licence fees from both domestic and foreign vessels in 2011 provided about SBD 106 million (USD 14.3 million) in government revenue," the report states. "While this is a significant earner for the government, it is only a low percentage of the catch value. Fisheries also provide a major contribution to the Solomon Islands' Gross Domestic Product (GDP)."

Total fisheries export earnings for H1 2011 was SBD 114 million (USD 15.4 million) or 8.6 per cent of total export earnings for the period, Islands Business International reports.

In the report, the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) claims that it is unclear, with the current 1998 Fisheries Act in force, whether the ministry has focused on addressing economic returns to the Solomon Islands from offshore fishing licences and access agreements, and focused on assessing whether they are appropriate to the value of tuna taken by vessels from the Solomon Islands Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) every year.

For the full article: Solomon Times Online