In the small island developing states of the Pacific, catching, trading, and eating fish are central to the way of life and local and national economies. Local and external pressures on marine resources, and high reliance on fisheries as a livelihood, mean that improving and sustaining fisheries is a key pathway to improve human wellbeing and contribute to food and nutrition security.
In 2015, the Pacific Islands region developed a new strategy for coastal fisheries management called “A New Song for Coastal Fisheries - Pathways to Change: the Noumea Strategy.” This project contributes to the New Song strategy, which calls for a stronger, coordinated approach to developing and managing coastal fisheries. The project aims to improve the well-being of Pacific coastal communities through more resilient fisheries as a foundation.
The project aims to:
- strengthen Pacific institutions to implement the New Song for coastal fisheries;
- improve and scale-out community-based fisheries management (CBFM) in Kiribati, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu;
- improve the opportunities, viability, and performance of livelihoods in support of CBFM initiatives;
- increase social and gender equity in coastal fisheries governance, utilization, and benefit distribution;
- promote food and nutrition security in the Pacific food system through improved management and use of fish.
The project builds on community-based management and multi-level governance efforts in preceding projects led by WorldFish with national and regional partners.
