Legislating for a New Song: Ensuring effective and up-to-date coastal fisheries laws in the Pacific Region

The significant benefits derived by Pacific Island countries

and territories (PICTs) from oceanic fisheries are already

recognised in well-developed laws and policies designed

to assist PICTs in harnessing the value of commercial tuna

fisheries (Gillett 2016). However, to date, coastal fisheries

have received far less attention from governments. This is

despite the fact that nearshore fisheries play a critical role

in many local communities, make a substantial contribution

to household income and food security and are declining in

many PICTs under the dual pressures of growing populations

and unsustainable fishing activities (Charlton et al.

2016; Gillett and Cartwright 2010).