BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
A clear purpose drives the work of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) to keep fisheries robust and resilient.
Ms. Rhea Moss-Christian, the Executive Director of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), said when reflecting on the contributions of the WCPFC to sustainability and challenges and the way forward.
Speaking at the Honiara Summit 2025 “Iumi Tugeda Delivering on SDG 14.4: Achieving Sustainable Fisheries”, Christian said that the WCPFC is the body that oversees what is perhaps the largest tuna fishery.
She told delegates that the WCPFC managed the world’s largest tuna fishery, and members’ commitment to the organisation’s objectives are seen in the status of fish stocks that it manages.
According to Christian, the WCPFC faces challenges much the same as any multilateral organization.
She said that competing interests are highlighted by varying degrees of resource dependency and harvesting capabilities, which means that decision-making is imperfect.
She said that the WCPFC Chair outlined the importance of consensus decision-making in the WCPFC, which, although it may result in less than robust outcomes, has to be stated that for an organization of this nature, consensus decision-making has also returned some remarkable results for the region and the organization.
“Collaboration and cooperation have been essential to WCPFC’s work,’’ emphasized Christian.
The Honiara Summit brought together more than 350 delegates, including Pacific leaders, global experts and representatives, from 24 – 27 February 2025.
The Summit was co-hosted by the Solomon Islands Government and the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), with support from the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the Special Oceans Envoy of the UN Secretary General and the Pacific Community (SPC).
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