News

News updates from the Kiribati Ministry of Fisheries and Ocean Resources.

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Strengthening Ocean Governance: KMSPCC Leads Stakeholder Engagement in the Line Islands

From 3–10 November 2025, a 10-member team from the Kiribati Marine Spatial Planning Coordinating Committee (KMSPCC), led by the Ministry of Fisheries and Ocean Resources (MFOR), visited Kiritimati Island under the CAB-SMART Phoenix Islands Marine Spatial Planning Project, proudly supported by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT).
The mission aimed to conduct stakeholder and community consultations on Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) and facilitate a stakeholder review of the draft National Ocean Policy
A successful workshop on 4 November brought together Government agencies, SOEs, NGOs, and private sector operators to discuss the MSP process, governance, and shared ocean use. From 5–7 November, the team visited London, Tabwakea, Banana, and Poland Villages, engaging communities through participatory mapping and discussions on sustainable ocean management, livelihoods, and cultural values.
On 10 November, stakeholders reconvened to review and align the draft National Ocean Policy with emerging MSP frameworks across Kiribati.
MFOR sincerely acknowledges the collaboration, technical input, and strong commitment shown by all partners throughout the mission.
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Empowering Island Communities Through Fisheries Awareness and Market Access Training

'The islands within the line and phoenix group are well known for their abundant marine resources, which play a vital role in supporting local livelihoods and offer significant opportunities for sustainable fisheries development. To ensure that these valuable resources are managed responsibly through ensuring seafood safety and quality, sustainable fishing, and promoting income diversification. The MFOR team comprising of the SVD, CFD and PDD undertook a significant task from 29th of October to 10 November 2025 to strengthen local knowledge on seafood safety, fisheries management and market access. The awareness program was delivered to community members and student of Teraina, Tabuaraean and Kiritimati Islands, covering topics on proper fish-handling practices, market access requirements, cold chain management, business strategies, income diversification, and key principles that promote sustainable fishing, improved livelihoods, enhanced economic opportunities, and promotes public health.
The team expresses its sincere appreciation to the Honorable Minister and Secretary for the Ministry of Line and Phoenix Development, the Mayor, Clerk and IEC for the three islands, and the principals of the schools visited for their support throughout the awareness program. Sincere appreciation is also extended to the World Bank through the PROP project for their financial support. Their invaluable support was pivotal in ensuring the successful implementation of this important task.
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Handicrafts and Heritage: Advancing Value-Added Marine Products in Kiribati

Embarking on small-scale fisheries value-added product development initiative focusing on souvenir making is one of the key highlights of the workshop convened last Friday on the 7th of November,2025 at the KIFL Ambo office. The workshop was attended by more than fifty participants representing the women's group, youths, local handicraft makers and national artists, and Toamatoa, those with disabilities. This workshop organized through a jointly effort of the Committee set up to progress this key initiative, comprised of Government representatives from MTCIC and TAK, MCIA, MWYSA and the PDD under MFOR. It is an interesting dialogue with great ideas in bringing local handicraft makers to discuss on areas important on how Kiribati could progress to promote the making of quality, locally made souvenirs from the locally sourced marine resources. At the workshop, issues raised including limited fundings on women business entrepreneurship, tools and limited opportunities for market access are commonly raised at the discussions. The initiative is part of the MFOR 100 days priorities, with the next key activities including a national competition on souvenir making to be held next week and the launching of products by end of November this year.
The Ministry sincerely acknowledge the funding support of MFAT Tobwan Waara 3 and the invaluable support of the committee members towards this great initiative.
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Exploring Solar Salt Potential: Field Mission to Nikunau Island Concludes Successfully

The Geoscience team recently completed a field mission to Nikunau Island from 27 October to 3 November 2025 as part of the Solar Salt Preliminary Assessment. The visit focused on testing salinity levels in local ponds and conducting household surveys to better understand the community’s salt consumption, market demand, and interest in locally produced salt.
Nikunau, located in the southern Gilbert Islands, experiences a hot and humid climate with limited rainfall conditions similar to Beru, where a pilot study has already shown promising results. These shared conditions strengthen the potential for sustainable solar salt production as a local livelihood initiative.
Special appreciation goes to the Nikunau Island Council and community members for their cooperation and local guidance throughout the fieldwork, and to PROP for their ongoing support of this important project.
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