NEWSPAGE 07 July
2010

(Photo: New Zealand Rugby League)

(Photo: Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme)

SAMOA: Pacific Islands Roundtable for Nature Conservation meets is Samoa
Source: Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme Press Release

“Climate Solutions: Invest in Biodiversity” is the theme of the thirteenth gathering of the Pacific Islands Round Table for Nature Conservation that opened in Samoa this morning. The coalition of nature conservation partners works to improve collaboration and coordination towards effective conservation action in the Pacific region.

Close to 100 participants will discuss effective biodiversity conservation as the key frontline response to climate change.

Opening the meeting at the Development Bank Building in Apia today, the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of the Government of Samoa, Hon. Faumuina Tiatia Liuga asked that participants not only focus on climate change but also recognise the importance of other environment concerns such as biodiversity conservation.

“While climate change is perceived as a hot topic on the international agenda, don’t lose sight of other environment issues in our region. Nature conservation is important and it is linked to our cultures and traditions.”

2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity which underlies the importance of the meeting of the Pacific islands roundtable for nature conservation. Nations around the world are expected to have met key international targets for biodiversity loss as agreed to by Heads of State at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable development to halt biodiversity loss by 2010. The Pacific has adopted the theme “Value Biodiversity - It’s our Life” to celebrate this year.

Mr. Taholo Kami, Chair of the Pacific Islands Roundtable for Nature Conservation and IUCN Oceania Regional Director, welcomed participants to the regional meeting and urged them to also celebrate good conservation efforts in the region.

“We haven’t come close to reaching the 2010 target to have a declining biodiversity loss and climate change hovers as a threat and challenges us as Pacific islanders with our livelihoods and as conservationists. From this meeting we should have exciting outcomes as we look at the link between biodiversity and conservation and take time to learn from each other in the region. ”

Pacific Islands Roundtable for Nature Conservation partners have been encouraged to sign a charter outlining their commitment to the 2008 to 2010 Action Strategies and Principles adopted at the 8th Pacific Nature Conservation and Protected Areas conference held in Alotau, Papua New Guinea in 2007. 13 key partners have now signed this charter.

This week the 2010 Round Table meeting aims at setting longer term priorities for the next 10 years which will be consolidated to develop as priorities for the next Action Strategy for 2013 to 2017. The role of biodiversity as a climate change solution may be reflected in the coming priorities.

Mr David Sheppard the Director of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) during his keynote speech on Climate change and Natural solutions outlined that effective biodiversity conservation is the key frontline response to climate change.

“We need to develop more effective links between climate change and biodiversity as well as Pacific solutions to Pacific problems. Nature based solutions to climate change should be given more emphasis.”

The conference ends on Friday with a presentation of meeting outcomes and resolutions. Participants are meeting in the Development Bank of Samoa in Apia and they represent nature conservation and development organisations, governments, inter-government, donor agencies, Pacific governments and community groups with an interest in Nature Conservation.

Photo Caption: (L-R) Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of the Government of Samoa, Programme Manager Island Ecosystems SPREP, Rev Lotu Uele, Deputy Prime Minister of Samoa, Director of SPREP, Chairperson of PIRT.

(Photo: Australia-Pacific Technical College)

AUSTRALIA: More TVET graduates for PNG
Source: Australia-Pacific Technical College

Thirty year old, mother of two, Doris Meliwane, today proudly graduated from the Australian Pacific Technical College (APTC) in a trade normally dominated by men, Automotive Mechanical Technology.

Australia's High Commissioner, HE Ian Kemish, and PNG's Minister for Education, James Marape, were on-hand to present graduates with their certificates.

"Studying at APTC has not only helped in furthering my knowledge and experience in Automotive Engineering, it has given me confidence to work on an equal footing with my fellow male colleagues," said Ms Meliwane.

Doris is one of five women graduating from the school of School of Automotive, Construction, Electrical and Manufacturing.

"It is fantastic to see young Papua New Guinean women pursuing non-traditional trades," said Australian High Commissioner, Ian Kemish.

"APTC is providing Papua New Guinea's future tradesmen and women with a chance to upgrade their skills and qualification at a time of great opportunity for PNG."

PNG Education Minister, James Marape said that PNG's young people are coming out of APTC with the necessary skills to take advantage of resource-driven opportunities like the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project.

"APTC is also working with Port Moresby Technical College and Esso Highlands Limited to ensure that the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector in PNG is reacting to the needs of industry," said the Minister.

Today's ceremony brings to 388 the number of students graduating from APTC since it's inception in 2007.

APTC offers training opportunities in campuses across the Pacific region. 73 of today's graduating students, of whom half were female, had studied tourism and hospitality courses at APTC campuses in Fiji, Samoa and Vanuatu. The remainder were enrolled in the Port Moresby APTC Campus in the School of Automotive, Construction, Electrical and Manufacturing.

Photo Caption: APTC graduate Doris Meliwane receiving her Diploma from Australia High
Commissioner to PNG, H E Ian Kemish.
 

HAWAII: Council votes for Non-Commercial Fishing Permit exemption for youth
Source: Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council Press Release

Youth who catch bottomfish in Hawaii’s offshore waters recreationally or for subsistence may soon be able to pocket $24 a year. The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council voted yesterday in Honolulu to exempt persons 16 years and younger from non-commercial federal fishing permit requirements. Currently, the only such permit is the annual federal main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) Non-Commercial Bottomfish Permit, which is required of all non-commercial fishermen, with the exception of charterboat customers, who target bottomfish in waters 3 to 200 miles offshore around the MHI. A non-refundable processing fee of $24 is charged for each permit application.

The MHI Non-commercial Bottomfish Permit regulation first came into effect in August 2008. It is part of the suite of measures established to ensure the health and sustainable harvest of MHI bottomfish stocks. The permit includes reporting requirements that provide fishery scientists and managers with non-commercial fishing catch and effort information. Vessel operators in the fishery must report their bottomfish fishing activities to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Because non-commercial bottomfish data has been lacking, this sector of the fishery is managed federally through bag limits and by a seasonal closure that is triggered when the commercial sector reaches its annual total allowable catch (TAC) limit. The State of Hawaii, which has jurisdiction in waters 0 to 3 miles from shore, has a complementary seasonal closure and will consider complementary bag limits at the July 8, 2010, meeting of the Board of Land and Natural Resources. The State does not have a permit requirement but does have a set of Bottomfish Restricting Fishing Areas (BRFAs). When the MHI bottomfish fishery is under a seasonal closure, no fresh local bottomfish is available in Hawaii as the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) bottomfish fishery permanently closed in March 2010 due to the establishment of the NWHI Marine National Monument by Presidential proclamation.

Keeping US Pacific island fish on Hawaii tables was also on the minds of Council members as they agreed today to management measures that will allow the US Territories of Guam, American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to assign up to 750 mt of bigeye tuna a year each under a domestic chartering agreement. The draft measures would include appropriate oversight by NMFS.

National quotas for bigeye tuna in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) are set by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), to which the United States is a party. Under current WCPFC measures, the United States longline fleet (which is based in Hawaii) is allowed 3,763 mt bigeye tuna and the US Territories have up to 2,000 mt of bigeye tuna longline landings each. However, the Territories are exempted from these limits if they are undertaking responsible fisheries development.

Last year, the Hawaii longline fleet reached the WCPO bigeye limit on Dec. 29, 2009. Current forecasts suggest the Hawaii fleet may reach the 2010 quota at the beginning of December. The proposed domestic charter arrangements with federally permitted longline vessels in US Pacific Islands (also known as the Western Pacific Region) is viewed as a win-win, providing the US Territories with much needed fisheries development finance and ensuring Hawaii has quality bigeye tuna from environmentally responsible US sources during the holiday season. The demand for bigeye tuna in Hawaii has led to a six-fold increase in imports of this species over the past 10 years.

Among other key decisions made by the Council before the conclusion of the four-day meeting today are the following:

Annual Catch Limits:

In 2011, the Council will be required to set annual catch limits (ACLs) for all federally managed species that have a lifespan of more than one year unless they are internationally managed or designated as an ecosystem component (i.e., included in the fishery management plan but not harvested in the fishery). The ACLs must be derived through a specific procedure defined by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and associated NMFS guidelines. Yesterday, the Council voted to continue to monitor and manage the nearly 800 species taken in Council managed fisheries rather than removing any of them from the management plans. The Council also began defining which species are exempted, which are “in the fishery” and which are under the “ecosystem component designation.” ACLs must be set for species that are “in the fishery” only. For the pelagic species and species group, the Council agreed that most tuna, blue and striped marlin, swordfish, bigeye thresher, shortfin mako, blue shark, mahimahi, ono, opah, monchong, escolar and oil fish are international exceptions. Pacific bluefin tuna, kawakawa, other tuna relatives, black marlin, shortbill spearfish, sailfish, pelagic thresher shark, common thresher shark, silky shark, oceanic white-tip and salmon shark are ecosystem components. Diamondback squid, neon flying squid and purple-back flying squid have life spans of less than one year. To set ACLs for species that are in the fishery, the Council voted to use a four-tier system as the best means for incorporating science into the decision process and dealing with different levels of data quality and stock assessment information.

Marianas Trench Marine National Monument (MNM):

The Council recommended the following fishery management measures:

* Prohibit commercial fishing within the Islands Unit.

* Limit eligibility for non-commercial fishing permits to residents of the Guam and Northern Mariana Islands fishing communities (as that term is defined under Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act).

* Limit eligibility for recreational charter for-hire fishing permits to owners/operators of a charter business legally established in Guam or Northern Mariana Islands fishing communities.

* Require that the vessel owner and operator fishing in the Islands Unit (and not all fishing participants on that vessel) have a non-commercial fishing permit and that the valid permit is carried on board the vessel.

* Do not require fishery participants conducting customary exchange to report monetary reimbursements or trip expenses due to anticipated behavioural modifications that would impact cultural practices related to the motivations of customary exchange.

* Allow family and friends of residents of Guam and Northern Mariana Islands fishing communities to be included in the customary exchange of fish harvested within the Islands Unit.

* Have all non-commercial permits be valid for one year after issuance.

* Require that the permitted operator of a vessel fishing in the Island Unit to fill out the logbook and that both the permitted owner and operator ensure that catch logbooks for all fishing conducted on the vessel is submitted within 30 days to NMFS and the CNMI Division of Lands and Natural Resources.


Rose Atoll MNM:

The Council recommended the following fishery management measures:

* Prohibit commercial fishing.

* Limit eligibility for non-commercial fishing permits to residents of the American Samoa fishing community (as that term is defined under Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act).

* Limit eligibility for recreational charter for-hire fishing permits to owners/operators of a charter business legally established in the American Samoa fishing community.

* Require that the vessel owner and operator fishing in the Rose Atoll MNM (and not all fishing participants on that vessel) have a non-commercial fishing permit and that the valid permit is carried on board the vessel.

* Do not require fishery participants conducting customary exchange to report monetary reimbursements or trip expenses due to anticipated behavioral modifications that would impact cultural practices related to the motivations of customary exchange.

* Allow family and friends of residents of the American Samoa fishing community to be included in the customary exchange of fish harvested within the Rose Atoll MNM.

* Have all non-commercial permits be valid for one year after issuance.

* Require that the permitted operator of a vessel fishing in the Rose Atoll MNM to fill out the logbook and that both the permitted owner and operator ensure that catch logbooks for all fishing conducted on the vessel is submitted within 30 days to NMFS and the American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources.

Swordfish Limit for Hawaii Tuna Longline Vessels:

The Council took final action to allow Hawaii longline vessels setting deep for tuna to retain 25 swordfish per trip when using circle hooks and 10 swordfish per trip when using other hooks. When carrying an observer, the vessels would have no swordfish retention limit, regardless of the type of hook used. North Pacific swordfish stocks are healthy, and this measure will allow fishermen to market rather than waste swordfish that are not alive when boated by longliners that set deep for tuna.

NWHI World Heritage Site Designation:

The Council reiterated its concern about the NWHI MNM nomination to become a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Hertage Site. As detailed in its March 28, 2007, public comments on the nomination, the Council questions the transparency of the process to include public participation, the need to clearly provide the purpose and need or objective of the designation, and the role of the National Park Service administrative authorities and related jurisdictional issues. Council Member Manny Duenas recalled that, following the nomination, Jean-Michel Cousteau said the area was destined to attract 3 million tourists, while a Native Hawaiian fisherman lamented that his son would not be able to enjoy the fishing rights and legacy in the NWHI that the previous three generations of his family had. The UNESCO World Heritage Committee is scheduled to address the nomination at its July 25 to Aug. 3, 2010, meeting in Brazil.
 

(Photo: New Zealand Press Association)

TONGA: Tonga turns to aid donors to balance budget
Source: New Zealand Press Association via Television New Zealand

New Zealand taxpayers look likely to help prop up the Tongan government's budget.

The government, which has decided to budget on spending $NZ153 million despite a catastrophic drop-off of revenue collection, is turning to aid donors to prop up the accounts.

"Tonga's financial planners have turned to aid donors to support the national budget for the new financial year 2010-11, in order to meet a current deficit of 12.1 million pa'anga, as well as multi-million pa'anga development budget needs," the Matangi Tonga newspaper reports.

Revenue was down from a forecast $NZ127.88m to $101.8m for the 2009-2010 financial year.

The newspaper said funding to boost economic activity was also being sourced through borrowing and while this pushed Tonga's debt burden way beyond the government's agreed sustainable debt levels, it was considered to be a case of "extraordinary national need".

While government revenue was expected to remain depressed over the next year, international and bilateral donors had come to Tonga's assistance with donor grant receipts more than doubling, the newspaper said.

Budget support will include the equivalent of $NZ1.18m from the Australian government in the current financial year to use for payment of salaries for health workers and teachers.

Finance Minister Afu'alo Matoto said development partners such as New Zealand International Development Assistance had been instrumental in sustaining development projects as well as providing budget support for two years.

Donor funding towards "budget support" had been indicated from New Zealand, the European Union, the World Bank and Australia.

Photo Caption: Ha'atafu beach, Tongatapu, Tonga.
 

WORLDWIDE: Special Coordinator visits Tonga and Samoa
Source: Australian High Commission Press Release

RAMSI’s Special Coordinator has paid tribute to the hundreds of Tongans and Samoans who have helped rebuild Solomon Islands since the Regional Assistance Mission was first deployed in 2003.

Speaking on his return from visiting Tonga and Samoa, Mr Wilson said the two founding members of RAMSI had made outstanding contributions to the Mission over the past seven years.

“RAMSI’s regional nature is its underlying strength and we value the participation of every Forum Island country”, Mr Wilson said.

In the case of Samoa and Tonga, both countries have contributed police and civilian advisers while Tonga also provides soldiers to RAMSI’s military contingent.

The Prime Minister of Tonga, Dr Feleti Sevele, told the Special Coordinator that his country was proud of its contribution to the important work RAMSI had been doing since 2003.

“Having been with RAMSI from the start, we are strongly committed to the Mission and to playing our part in its ongoing success”, he said.

Tonga’s contribution to RAMSI currently comprises a military platoon (34 men), 7 police and a senior civilian adviser, Linda Folaumoetu’I, who is the Chief Crown Counsel Adviser in the Attorney General’s Chambers.

Samoa’s Acting Prime Minister, Misa Telefoni, also confirmed his country’s commitment to RAMSI and expressed his appreciation for the excellent work RAMSI was doing in partnership with the Solomon Islands Government and the Pacific Islands Forum.

“I congratulate you on the great job RAMSI is doing”, the Acting Prime Minister told the Special Coordinator. “I know the work is not easy but the partnership between RAMSI and the Solomon Islands Government is making good progress”, he added.

Over the past seven years, Samoa has contributed consistently to RAMSI’s Participating Police Force and has also provided some civilian advisers.

Mr Wilson visited Tonga and Samoa from 21-25 June as part of a series of visits he has been making to RAMSI contributing countries since taking up the position of Special Coordinator 18 months ago.

Mr Wilson said he was delighted that both the Tongan and Samoan Governments expressed their strong support for the RAMSI photographic exhibition that will be launched at the Pacific Islands Forum in Vanuatu next month to mark the 10th anniversary of the Biketawa Declaration, under which RAMSI came about.

The exhibition will then visit other contributing countries and be used to help educate the region about the work of RAMSI’s partnership with Solomon Islands.