BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
Supervising Minister for the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Jimson Tanangada, has called for support and advocacy towards having a sustainable ocean.
Speaking on SIBC’s Radio Talk Show to mark this year’s World Ocean Day, Minister Tanangada said Solomon Islands is blessed with rich biodiversity and invaluable marine resources.
“Our natural marine biodiversity is amongst the most diverse on the planet, being part of the globally renowned coral triangle. It was assessed in 2014 that the total annual value of Solomon Islands’ marine ecosystem services is more than 2.6 billion SBD,” he said.
“Our biological diversity has supported our island-based livelihood and economies for centuries and continues to serve as the foundation of our community’s socio-economic sustenance,” said Tanangada.
He said that it is estimated that Solomon Islanders consume more than 33 kg per year of fish.
According to Tanangada, seaweed farming, for example, has successfully supplanted unsustainable fishing practices, thereby addressed the economic needs and sustained the livelihoods of communities across the Solomon Islands.
“However, this is not without its challenges. Our ocean faces unprecedented challenges and threatens our food security, livelihood and economy, including climate change, overfishing and marine pollution,” he said.
He said Solomon Islands must be the catalyst for change and transformation in its approach to a healthy ocean and sustainably secure its marine resources for sustainable utilisation in the long run.
He said that the government, through its responsible ministries, the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR) in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Disaster Management (MECDM), is taking the lead to ensure strategic actions are in place to address issues affecting marine resources.
“For example, a successful coordination for scaling Community-based resource management (CBRM) in the nine provinces, supported by programs as Saltwater Blue Yumi campaign, ongoing support to coastal communities for seaweed and tilapia farming, deployment of fishing aggregate devices for communities’ livelihood project,” said Minister Tanangada.
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