1. 1POLIM2041 Environmental Politics Policy Brief 2016
Creating sustainable fisheries in the Pacific Islands
The depletion of fisheries is a food security threat
for the globe but specifically developing countries.
In the Pacific, there is a dependency on fish for
nutrition and ‘economic security for coastal
communities’ (Hauge, Cleeland, and Wilson, 2009).
They have a strong connection to the sea, and as
the seas ‘cover 70% of the earth’s surface and
contain 90% of all life on earth’ (The World Bank,
2005) it is fundamental to preserve and protect the
biggest supporter of life on our planet. If production
reduces as a result of overfishing, biodiversity loss
and climate change, it will have a catastrophic effect
on the income of developing countries. Fisheries
impact the economy and well-being of PIC’s as
fisheries provide ‘food security, job opportunities
and income’ (FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture, 2011)
and are paramount to the well-being of Islanders.
Overfishing is an issue because production has
increased ‘from 19 million tonnes in 1950 to 133
million tonnes in 2002’ (The World Bank, 2005). The
region produced ’80 million tonnes of fish in 2009
and directly employed 34 million people in fishing
operations in 2008’ (FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture,
2011). Fish is the largest traded ‘food commodity
and the fastest growing agricultural commodity’
(The World Bank, 2005) and the sales of fish value
US$78 billion annually. The export value of this is
US$58.2 billion of which 50% is from developing
counties. The ‘industry employs around 150 million
people in developing countries’ (The World Bank,
2005) and fish also make up 50% of the protein diet
of the PIC’s. Of those currently assessed, 57.4% of
fish stocks are full exploited which means that they
are being used at unsustainable rates and ‘there is
no room for further expansion in catch and a risk of
decline’ (FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture, 2011). As
seen in figure 1, ’29.9% of stockers are
overexploited and 12.7% are non-fully exploited’
(FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture, 2011). As a result it
is crucial to be pro-active and to deal with the issue
quickly before it becomes too late.
Figure 1:
State of World
stocks, 2004.
(World Bank,
2005)
Three key risks related to overfishing:
1. Global food security
- Fish provide nutrition to billions of people and a collapse of the
industry or a price increase ‘could seriously affect the nutritional
status and the food security of many populations’ (Hauge, Cleeland,
and Wilson, 2009).
2. Economic security
- Important for exporting countries as there is a direct link to
overfishing and poverty. For many developing nations their highest
export income comes from fish and ‘Poverty among coastal
communities in developing countries is often high’ (Hauge, Cleeland,
and Wilson, 2009) and many rely on the fishing industry for income.
The results of a collapse of the industry could be catastrophic for
many.
- Eco-tourism brings in millions for coastal communities and this will be
at risk from biodiversity loss.
3. Climate change
- Changes in water temperatures and currents affect food chains and
the amount of fish surviving
- Increase migration to other areas and a change to the food chain
- Long term development is affected if states don’t adapt to climate
change
- Rising sea temperatures and acidification causes a ‘decline in coral
reefs and coastal fisheries’ (Secretariat of the Pacific Community,
2008) and reduce yields of fish in areas affected.
- Damage to coastal infrastructure from storms.

2. 2POLIM2041 Environmental Politics Policy Brief 2016
There are many causes for fisheries depletion. Firstly, an increasing global
population creates a growing demand for fish produce and more people who
rely on fishing for income. Secondly, new technology now allows ‘fishing to
expand to ever more distant and deeper waters’ (The World Bank, 2005).
Another factor is poor governance and also that subsides are used by
governments to keep more boats working that is sustainable. The impacts from
climate change will not be the same for each island and as a result they should
focus on adaptation against climate change. Relevant adaptation policies
include:
 Strengthening the ‘enforcement of fisheries and forestry legislation’ (FAO,
2008) and bringing together stakeholders to create collective action.
 Raising ‘awareness and understanding of climate change and its potential
impacts on food production and food security’ (FAO, 2008).
 Implementing climate change adaptation policies across all international
and governmental agencies.
 Recognizing adaptation policies in budgets.
 Designing ‘cross-sectoral policies to support domestic food production
(incorporating agriculture, fisheries, water, trade/tariff policy, appropriate
incentives, legislation, research and development etc.)’ (FAO, 2008).
 Manage ‘fish habitats and local fish stocks’ (Secretariat of the Pacific
Community, 2008) by reducing access.
It is key for governments to diversify their local economies and infrastructure to
combat the issues. This will make the PICs stronger against extreme weather
events, instability and the effects of climate change. For making fisheries more
sustainable, PICs can diversify by doing the following:
 Identifying the needs to the population by estimating consumption and
‘harmonise the use and development of fish resources to optimise food
security, livelihoods and economic growth’ (Bell et al., 2009).
 Supporting local subsistence fishers
 Creating and developing ‘hatcheries to supply juvenile fish’ (Secretariat of
the Pacific Community, 2008)
 Limit stresses ‘on coastal fisheries (overfishing and degradation of fish
habitats due to careless land use in catchments) to maximise the natural
potential of these resources to adapt to climate change’ (Secretariat of the
Pacific Community, 2008).
 Create ‘monitoring programmes to assess the success of management
methods’ (Secretariat of the Pacific Community, 2008)
 Capacity ‘building to increase the resilience of fishing communities’ (FAO
Fisheries and Aquaculture, 2011).
To create sustainable fisheries in the Pacific Islands governments need to
combine a proactive collective approach by joining together stakeholders and
working together to adapt to the effects of climate change and to form long
lasting sustainable fisheries that can support a growing global population and
support coastal communities.
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