By Pacific Island Times News Staff
Pacific island nations, whose economies rely on tuna, are facing a 10 to 30 percent harvest decline by 2050 due to climate-related fish migration, according to research by Conservation International and the Pacific Community, also known as SPC.
The Cook Islands, Fiji, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu have sustainably managed one-third of the world’s tuna catch for decades.
However, the study shows an increasing risk that ocean warming will push tuna stocks away from the island-nations’ territorial waters and into international waters, potentially shrinking the economic benefits the 14 island nations currently derive from tuna fishing.
Research indicated that tuna catch reduction could result in a collective loss of between $40 million and $140 million annually, accounting for 8 to 17 percent of government revenue per year for individual tuna-dependent economies.
According to researchers, due to declines in coastal fish production – caused by environmental changes such as coral bleaching – Pacific communities will increasingly need to depend on tuna to obtain the protein they require for food security.
Conservation International and the SPC have secured a $107.4 million grant from the Green Climate Fund to assist 14 Pacific island countries in adapting and mitigating the impact of climate change on tuna stocks.
GCF grant, which represents one of the largest climate funding grants ever to the Pacific region, has also attracted $49.4 million in co-finance for the $156.8 million program.
Jack Kittinger, senior vice president at Conservation International’s Center for Sustainable Lands and Water, said the investment will secure the region’s position as a leader in tuna fisheries management while highlighting the urgency of global climate action.
“This is the world’s largest ocean climate adaptation initiative, and it started with science. Modeling by SPC indicates that tuna will move progressively into the high seas from Pacific nations’ waters,” he added. “These countries are least responsible for climate changeand they have long stewarded this vital resource with great care. Now they have the financing to continue doing so.”
Mona Ainu’u, Niue’s natural resources minister, said the landmark grant will ensure the protection of the tuna industry, allowing island communities to “continue relying on tuna as an essential source of food, revenue and cultural value. By adapting now, we can protect our people’s livelihoods and strengthen our resilience to climate change.”
Collectively, the tuna industry supports tens of thousands of jobs in the Pacific island region. For nine of the 14 countries, fees associated with tuna fishing access alone provide an average of 34 percent of government revenue.
“Since the 1970s, SPC has been working alongside our Pacific Island members to advance the scientific understanding of tuna fisheries and ensure their sustainable management. This ongoing work supports long-term sustainable tuna supplies, benefiting not only Pacific communities and families but also the entire world,” said Stuart Minchin, SPC director general.
The GCF-funded program will provide the tools to develop and support adaptations by Pacific island nations that maintain the economic benefits they receive from tuna today. It is based on more than 50 years of science, research, and evidence-based decision-making led by Pacific island countries and territories.
“Knowing when and to what extent ocean warming will change the distribution of tuna stocks will enable Pacific Island nations to identify solutions, together with the international community, to minimize the consequences of climate change on their economies,” said Johann Bell, senior director for Tuna Fisheries at Conservation International.
The GCF funding will also assist Pacific communities in using fish aggregating devices more frequently and establishing them as part of their national infrastructure supporting food security.
“Fish aggregating devices not only improve the chances that communities will catch more tuna, but they also reduce fuel use because boats do not have to keep following fast-moving tuna,” said Ian Bertram, SPC principal fisheries adviser. “They also improve safety at sea by providing known destinations for fishing trips and can broaden fisheries livelihood opportunities.”
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