Samoa has a Marine Resources Use Policy, and is working towards the delineation of its EEZ with the assistance of the Commonwealth Secretariat and the SOPAC.
Traditionally Samoans rely on marine resources for their well-being and daily required sustenance. Over 70% of villages are located on the coastal fringe of the islands, and subsistence fishing is a major activity of the inhabitants of such villages. Fisheries also play an extremely important role in the economy of Samoa as well as contributing significantly to the health and nutrition of the people. Fisheries are the major income-earner for the country. Offshore fisheries, in particular the tuna sector, have been recently developed and now are the most valuable among fisheries contributing significantly to Samoa’s economy. However, pressures arising as a result of overfishing, inshore environment degradation, ongoing coastal developments, pollution, and natural disasters have adversely affected the coastal resources and marine environment.
15 November 2012: The World Ocean Assessment (WOA) Workshop for the Wider Caribbean met to discuss the state of assessments of the marine environment in the Wider Caribbean, and provide regional input to the First Global Integrated Marine Assessment. The Assessment is slated for publication in December 2014.
The workshop took place from 13-15 November 2012, in Miami, Florida, US. Hosted by the US State Department in cooperation with US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),...
We at IISD RS wish you all the best for this holiday season and throughout the coming year. We will resume publication of our knowledgebases on 7 January 2013. Thank you for your support during 2012.
The IISD RS Knowledge Management team
14 December 2012: The international symposium titled ”Adaptation to climate change in the South-West Indian Ocean islands – Evaluation and Prospects” took place from 12-14 December 2012, in Saint-Denis, La Réunion. During the event, member States of the the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) called for enhancing regional cooperation in the field of climate change adaptation.
The event was jointly organized by the Regional Council of La Réunion and IOC, with the suport of the EU,...
