Unima, leader in Madagascar’s shrimp production sector, was awarded Aquaculture Stewardship Certification (ASC) for its aquaculture farm Aqualma located in Mahajamba, the northwest coast of Madagascar. It is the first shrimp farm in Africa to receive ASC certification, an internationally recognized labeling scheme that promotes the best environmental and social aquaculture performance. WWF´s partnership with Unima to develop and implement good social and environmental practices started in 2007. Through ASC certification, the company is being recognized for boosting community development, reforestation and for its sound management of mangrove areas, water treatment and waste management.

China has pledged a donation of equipment worth $US82,000 to support marine surveillance in the Cook Islands. Cook Island News reported a delegation from the Cook Islands was in China last week to discuss cooperation between the Guangzhou and Zhuhai government on agriculture, fisheries, culture, tourism and health. The donation will include equipment and transportation facilities. An agriculture and fishery training project was also agreed upon and will start next month. The secretary of cultural development Anthony Turua said ten representatives from the Ministry of Marine resources and the Ministry of Agriculture would visit Zhuhai in mid-October as part of the first training project.

This study describes the situation of employment linked to the fourteen existing Fisheries Partnership Agreements, which the EU has entered into with third countries. It estimates the numbers of persons employed in both the EU and third country partners and where possible attributes numbers of posts to regions and specific Agreements. The study concludes that the EU’s policy of supporting fisheries access to third country waters via the Fisheries Partnership Agreements has had a positive impact on employment in fisheries dependent areas of the European Union and partner countries.

The head of the Cook Islands Ministry of Marine Resources says they remain committed to a sustainably-managed purse seine fishery. This came after a parliamentary committee's assessment of purse seining plans by the European Union was tabled this week. The secretary Ben Ponia, who had been centrally involved in promoting the scheme, said the ministry maintains its view that the ban sought on fish aggregating devices, or FADs, would have no conservation value and deny the country economic benefits.

A four-day campaign co-funded by the EU against illegal fishing off the West Africa Coast has shown concrete results in tackling illegal fishing in Western Africa. From 28 August to 1 September 2016, the West African Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission (SRFC) organised a regional operation at sea to control vessels fishing in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of Gambia, Senegal, Guinea Bissau and Guinea. For the first time, the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) has taken part in such an exercise.

Pacific island states and countries failed on Friday to strike a deal to protect shrinking supplies of tuna and adopt cutbacks following a regional conference, officials said, sparking condemnation from conservationists. The Pacific Ocean is the world’s largest tuna fishing ground, accounting for almost 60% of the global catch. But supplies are dwindling and conservationists say urgent action is needed to ensure populations remain viable.

The world’s largest conservation congress kicked off last Friday in Hawaii and the Pacific Community has joined over 8,000 global leaders and decision-makers from government, civil society, indigenous groups, business and academia, to garner support for stronger action towards a sustainable future. The Pacific Community director general Dr. Colin Tukuitonga attended the Pacific Ocean Summit at the start of the IUCN Congress and moderated a session on Action on Climate Change-reducing emissions, increasing renewable energy, which included addresses from the President of the Republic of Marshall Islands, H.E. Dr Hilda Heine, the Prime Minister of Tuvalu, Hon. Enele Sopoaga.

The St Kitts-Nevis government says it is working diligently to ensure that the twin island Federation becomes compliant with the European Union rules and regulations on fishing by December 31, this year. “They feel that a lot of people are fishing in other people’s waters and that there is illegal fishing going on. They want to know where the fish are caught because there may be instances of poisoning,” said Agriculture Minister Eugene Hamilton. He said that as a result there is much pressure on the Federation to comply, hinting at other reasons for Europe doing so.

Marine fisheries catches have been drastically under-reported in the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean, threatening the marine environment and livelihoods of the local community, reveals a recent study published in the open-access journal Frontiers in Marine Science. Actual catches on the islands were an alarming 2.8 times, or 86% higher than that reported to the FAO, and this has very troubling implications. Lead researcher Aylin Ulman, recently based at the Sea Around Us, and her team call for urgent action from policy-makers to ensure the future sustainability of the fishing industry in this archipelago nation.

The coast of West Africa is home to some of the most abundant fishing grounds on the planet. Historically, these rich waters teem with some of the world’s most sought after fish, such as mackerel, marlin, shrimp, sardines, barracuda and more. For thousands of years, coastal West Africans have relied on this plentiful bounty for both sustenance and livelihood. Today illegal fishing has put this ancient relationship in jeopardy and the fate of West Africa’s fishing future now lies in the balance.