CSO Intervention on Small-scale Fisheries in the Pacific

1. In the 14 independent countries and eight territories of the Western and Central Pacific Ocean, the total land area is less than two per cent of the combined ocean area. As a result, the fisheries sector is vital for the local food security and nutrition of 11 million people in the region. While distant-water and national offshore fishing fleets dominate in terms of revenue and foreign exchange, small-scale fisheries, including subsistence coastal and nearshore fisheries, contribute significantly to food security, culture and welfare of the local populations. Women particularly play a dominant role in coastal and nearshore fisheries.
2.  However, the coastal fisheries resources are progressively depleting. Several marine species are increasingly being harvested and exported, interfering with traditional food sources. Urbanization, industrial development, mining and logging are degrading fisheries habitats and the aquatic biodiversity. Customary tenure rights regimes need to be protected and transformed to become more sustainable and equitable.
3. Despite the development of instruments such as the 2015 Noumea Strategy, the 2015 Future of Fisheries Roadmap and the Melanesian Spearhead Group Roadmap for Inshore Fisheries 2015-2024, the attention is still focused more on distant-water and national offshore fishing fleets, and less on managing coastal and nearshore fisheries. We request APRC to advise Parties of the Nauru Agreement (PNA) to dedicate a share of access fees generated from these offshore fishing fleets to benefit subsistence fisheries management and development and achieve the commitment of the Noumea Strategy to “Re-focused fisheries agencies that are transparent, accountable and adequately resourced, supporting coastal fisheries management and sustainable development”, as further supported  by the Future of Fisheries Roadmap, and in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, specifically target 14b, viz. to provide access of small-scale artisanal fishers to marine resources and markets.
4. There is a need to sustainably manage coastal ecosystems on the one hand and to improve the lot of subsistence fishers, on the other. The 2014 Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) can assist in reaching these goals. The SSF Guidelines are broadly compatible with regional strategies and processes. We urge APRC to request FAO to work with regional and national agencies and other stakeholders to implement regional policies and supplement areas of the SSF Guidelines that are not adequately covered.
5.  To benefit from a human rights-based approach, as promoted by the SSF Guidelines, all the States in the region may be encouraged by APRC to ratify the United Nations treaties that protect all human rights. For increased transparency and, APRC may encourage the States in the region to implement the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC).
6.  To fully realize all objectives of the SSF Guidelines, such as improved access to drinking water, sanitation, housing, health, education, social protection and gender equity, APRC may advise the States in the region to include the human-rights landscape of fishing communities in the Universal Periodic Review they submit to the UN Human Rights Council.  
7. To ensure that customary rights holders are adequately represented in regional and national policy initiatives, we recommend APRC to urge the States in the region to work with coastal communities to uphold sustainable, equitable and gender-just tenure rights and to actively engage with this process, supported by civil society organizations (CSOs) such as the Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs) network and others.
8. Protecting coastal and nearshore fisheries and the human rights of fishing communities can definitely turn the tide, making coastal fisheries sustainable and safeguarding their contributions to food security and livelihoods in the Pacific as we look forward to the International Year for Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture in 2022.