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.
25 February 2013: The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has reported on recent developments within the framework of the Strengthening Resilience of Coastal and Small Island Communities towards Hydro‐meteorological Hazards and Climate Change Impacts (StResCom) project, funded by the Japan Funds-in-Trust (JFIT). StResCom project is a three-year project implemented in Indonesia, the Philippines and Timor Leste.
The StResCom project aims to reduce disaster risks and...
20 February 2013: The Secretariat of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) has announced that Vanuatu has joined the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks (Sharks MoU) as its 26th Signatory. Vanuatu signed the MoU in the Philippines on 19 February 2013.
The Sharks MoU was adopted to help develop management measures to protect threatened shark species, such as basking, longfin mako and whale sharks. It also aims to improve...
15 February 2013: The UN Security Council held an informal, Arria formula meeting on the “security dimensions of climate change.” Tony deBrum, Minister in Assistance to the President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, gave a press conference at UN Headquarters in New York, US, after speaking as a panelist about the security issues faced by his country and other small island developing States (SIDS).
The meeting, closed to outside observers and media, was organized by the Governments of...
