The emergence of new challenges in the fisheries industry led to the review of Fiji’s legal policies that govern this vital sector.
Minister for Primary Industry Joketani Cokanasiga made this remark while addressing fellow Fisheries Ministers from the African Caribbean Pacific (ACP) group of states in Nadi yesterday.
“Fiji has just reviewed its Fisheries Legal Framework in the wake of emergence of new challenges that have been encountered over the years,” Mr Cokanasiga said.
He said those challenges had rendered obsolete the existing fisheries legislations.
Mr Cokanasiga said Fiji’s legal framework was developed long before the United Nations Conventions on the Law of the Sea.
The 3rd ACP Fisheries Ministers chairman said the framework was also developed before other international and regional conventions.
“Including the UN Fish Stocks Agreement, the Convention on the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission and the Convention on Biological Diversity to name a few.”
He highlighted one of the challenges that emerged was the illegal unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in national waters.
“Fiji is not exempted from IUU fishing and (it) has been with us for many years and continues to be a serious concern and the Department of Fisheries have put together a number of measures to combat this pandemic,” Mr Cokanasiga said.
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