News

News updates from the Kiribati Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources Development.

Kiritimati Fisheries Observers Begin Crucial Refresher Training at MTC

8 fisheries observers from Kiritimati (Christmas Island) have arrived in Tarawa to undertake a 5-week refresher training at the Marine Training Center (MTC), covering Basic Safety Training Refresher (BSTR), first aid, and security awareness. These essential courses are critical for ensuring the observers’ safety and preparedness while carrying out their duties at sea, including monitoring fishing activities and supporting sustainable fisheries management. Upon completion of the training, these fisheries observers will be able to resume their very important work aboard foreign fishing vessels.

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Understanding Our Seas: CFD Completes Surveys on Abemama and Makin

Each outer island in Kiribati has its own unique fishing practices, ways of managing coastal resources, different marine species, and many more. Because of this, the Coastal Fisheries Division (CFD) is working to collect different types of information from each island. In April 2025, the Research and Monitoring Unit of the Coastal Fisheries Division conducted creel surveys on two outer islands, Abemama (6–13 April) and Makin (mid-April). During these trips, three CFD officers worked closely with local fishers to collect important information using the IKASAVEA app. The surveys focused on how coastal fisheries are used and managed, including where people fish, the types of fish caught, fuel usage, and whether fishing areas are monitored.
Collecting this data helps the Ministry better understand local fishing activities and supports the sustainable management of coastal fisheries for future generations. The same activity was carried out on Makin Island, and the officers have now completed their work and are returning today, 23 April 2025.The goal is to carry out these surveys on all outer islands to gather valuable data that will guide better management and sustainable practices for different species across the islands.
The Ministry of Fisheries and Ocean Resources (MFOR) sincerely thanks the PROP Project for its continued funding and support in making this important work possible.
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World Bank Completes PROP Support Mission in Kiribati, Welcomes New Team Leader

A one-week Implementation Support Mission (ISM) from the World Bank (WB) to review progress and support the on-going work of the Kiribati PROP, was concluded on Wednesday, 16th of April. This mission which was led byMr Iretomiwa Olatunji along with other four team members, met with key officials from the Government of Kiribati including the MFOR, MFED, Kiribati Fiduciary Service Unit Manager (KFSU), and World Bank Kiribati based staff and the PROP PMU. The World Bank provides USD19.5M to the Government of Kiribati through the Pacific Regional Oceanscape Programme (PROP) to support fisheries sector and was implemented by the Ministry of Fisheries and Ocean Resources. The key finding is that the PROP remains at the moderate satisfactory status and require more work to deliver on the identified key areas with the objective to complete them within 14 months before the closure of this PROP in June 2026. This mission was successfully closed with a dinner reception to farewell the current Task Team Leader Mr Iretomiwa, who finishes his term with PROP, and to welcome his successor Miss Aimee Hall that will oversee and lead the work of PROP in Kiribati from the World Bank. The Government of Kiribati expressed gratitude to Mr Iretomiwa for his leadership and guidance during his tenure as TTL for PROP and wish him well in his future endeavors. The MFOR also acknowledged the Work Bank for their continued support to the fisheries sector through this PROP.

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Tuna for Healing: MFOR Hands Over First Maribo 61 Catch to MHMS

The first catch of Maribo 61, that was already processed and ready packed in tuna steak containers were handed over today by Honourable Minister Ribanataake Tiwau, Ministry of Fisheries and Ocean Resources (MFOR) to the Honourable Minister Michael Booti Nauan of the Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) for the patients of Tungaru Hospital. This special occassion was witnessesd by Mr Li, Managing Director Li as well as Secretary Benny Teuea of the MHMS and all Senior Management and Heads of the MHMS. Minister Nauan conveyed his appreciation to this donation for the patients of the Tungaru, while Minister Tiwau reciprocated this with his sincere gratitudes to Minister Nauan and his team for this great partnership. The Governmemt of Kiribati expressed their thanks to the Joint Venutre companies and especially the chinese shareholders for supporting this arrangement which is mutually beneficial to both countries and their people.

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