WELLINGTON, June 30 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand announced on Tuesday increased funding and support for Pacific fisheries, aiming to boost economic returns from tuna and strengthen regional sustainability efforts.
The Pacific region supplies more than half of the world's traded tuna but does not always receive equitable returns, New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced the funding boost for the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) at the opening of the 25th Forum Fisheries Committee Ministerial Meeting in the capital Wellington, the first time New Zealand has hosted the gathering in 18 years.
The additional New Zealand support will help the FFA combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, build national capacity and ensure the long-term sustainability and integrity of the region's fisheries resources, Jones said.
New Zealand will also support the Pacific Islands Tuna Ventures Program, which promotes higher-value uses of tuna, including turning previously wasted tuna by-products into pet food, fertilizer and other food products, the statement said.
Jones said fisheries are critical to many Pacific economies and food security, noting that tuna stocks, which range widely, require coordinated regional management. ■
