News

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

Community Awareness and Enforcement Training on New Fisheries Regulations

Four dedicated officers from the MCS&E Unit of the Coastal Fisheries Division recently traveled to Kiritimati Island to conduct training to Authorized Officers on the enforcement of fisheries regulations. This training was followed by consultation with fishing guides and petfish operators, public consultations and community awareness sessions across the wards, focusing on recent introduced and amended regulations prior endorsement, including: Fisheries (Marine Aquarium Fishery Management) Regulations 2025, Fisheries (Protection of Bonefish on Kiritimati) Regulations 2025 and Fisheries (Conservation & Management of Coastal Marine Resources) Regulations 2025
These activities are part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen enforcement, promote sustainable fisheries management, and ensure the protection of our coastal resources for future generations.
Sincere appreciation to the PROP Project for making this important mission possible.
  • Hits: 210

Kiribati Engages in TCC21 to Strengthen Tuna Fisheries Governance

The 21st Technical Compliance Committee (TCC21) held its long-week meeting in Ponape from 24-30 September 2025 and was attended by members of the Western Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), including Kiribati.
TCC is the subsidiary body of the WCPFC tasked to review national obligations and compliance against Conservation and Management Measures (CMMs), addressing Illegal Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, strengthening monitoring and enforcement tools and systems, improving data gaps through collecting systems, among others.
Key topics deliberated during this year’s session include High Seas Transhipment, Compliance Monitoring Scheme (CMS), FAD, and the Regional Observer Programme.
Participation ensures our continued commitment to comply with CMMs for the sustainable management of the tuna fisheries upon which we depend for livelihood and economic aspirations, including understanding the significance of work at the national level that contributes to supporting the overall work of the WCPFC in managing tuna fisheries in this region. Acknowledgement to the WCPFC Secretariat and the national EU fisheries project for their funding support to this meeting.
  • Hits: 202

Kiribati PROP PSC Convenes to Address Challenges and Next Steps

The PROP Steering Committee (PSC) met today, 30th September 2025, to discuss the overall progress and current challenges and issues facing the project. The PSC is an important governance mechanism of the PROP established under it Financing Agreement and comprised of relevant Government stakeholders including the OAG, MLPID, MFED, MELAD, MISE, MHMS and KFSU that are key to the components of the project. This PSC meeting prepares the project, the Ministry and key stakeholders ahead of the upcoming World Bank monitoring mission scheduled in mid-October 2025. The Pacific Regional Oceanscape Program (PROP) in Kiribati, which began in June 2020 and is scheduled for completion in June 2026, is a World Bank–funded project aimed at strengthening fisheries management and seafood safety. The MFOR acknowledged the stakeholders for their contributions, their strategic guidance and participation in this year’s meeting.

  • Hits: 225

Maiana Fish Center Assessment Mission Completed

The team from the Planning Division under the Ministry of Fisheries and Ocean Resources accompanied by the Local TA and CPPL rep visited Maiana from the 20th to 27th of September to carry out the assessment of the Fish center on the island. The study forms part of the new initiative to carry out the assessment on the Outer island fish centers to identify challenges that hinder the development of these centers. The Outer island Fish center one of the Government key projects with the aim to support the local fishing communities through promotion of quality seafood, sustainable fisheries supply chain, provide economic benefits and promote food security, however the project remains to encounter a number of challenges. Interestingly, the study expected to deliver key recommendations to inform the Ministry on future development interventions to ensure greater benefits to the wider communities of Kiribati. The Ministry wishes to extend words of gratitude for the support and hospitality of the Maiana community and special thanks to the donor, the EU Fisheries Sector Programme for making this mission successful for Maiana Island.

  • Hits: 191

Page 8 of 58