National Oceans Symposium Implementation Plan for the National Guiding Principles to Sustain and be Sustained by Our Ocean and Coral Reefs.

The National Oceans Symposium Implementation Plan for the National Guiding Principles to Sustain and be Sustained by Our Ocean and Coral Reefs sets out actions to be taken by the authorities under the four themes of the Symposium, which are: sustainable fisheries, climate change, marine pollution, and coral reefs and marine protected areas. The Guiding Principles are categorized into six groups: 1) legal and regulatory; 2) human resource/capacity development; 3) public awareness and education; 4) data collection, management, and information sharing; 5) new projects on conservation, management, and livelihoods; and 6) networking and establishing partnerships.
Strong and effective national laws and regulations and local ordinances will be enacted pertaining to: (I) the protection of rights of Marshallese seamen/vessel crew working on vessels operating in Marshall Islands waters and on nationally-registered vessels; (II) monitoring and enforcement; (III) prevention of marine pollution; (IV) promotion of the use of traditional biodegradable products to replace plastic, paper, and other manmade materials; (V) marine invasive species; (VI) local conservation and management relating to open and closed fishing seasons, area closures, size and catch limits; (VII) risk reduction and climate adaptation; and (VIII) reduction of carbon emissions resulting from Marshall Islands-registered vessels. The national monitoring, control, and surveillance efforts will be properly resourced, supported, and coordinated. Appropriate mechanisms will be developed for sustainable financing to support resource management with a special emphasis on protected area network. Technical assistance to local governments will be enhanced to maximize benefits from conservation programs. Training will be provided at the national, local and community levels relating to address the management of coastal ecosystems and coastal natural and man-made hazards. New or relocated dump sites will be established in the outer islands in line with the Environmental Impact Assessments, and cost-effective programs on recycling and hazardous material management will be established. The policy and technical capacity for Integrated Coastal Management will be strengthened to improve environmental management and reduce vulnerability to climate change and natural hazards. The capacity of communities will be built to understand disaster-related risks and contribute to mitigation and adaptation activities. The local governments and communities will be supported to increase their participation in fisheries, and local governments will be assisted with marine related alternative livelihood projects such as FADS, post-harvest activities, etc. within their jurisdiction areas. The integration of traditional and modern management strategies will be improved. Community awareness will be raised on marine invasive species, and local communities will be empowered to prevent, monitor, detect, and report them.
Fisheries resources will be protected through better control and monitoring of fishing activities throughout the EEZ as well as local governments jurisdictions. Information sharing mechanisms will be strengthened between national and local governments on fishing activities. The Reimaanlok guide will be updated to enable communities to harvest safe fish for food. Monitoring programs of inshore coastal activities will be strengthened to ensure climate change impacts are accounted for. Known climate impacts and conditions will be incorporated into fisheries management planning, marine resource management and decision-making. The coral reef environment will be protected to enhance resilience against storm surge, sea level rise and other coastal hazards. A gender assessment will be conducted in the fisheries sector to better understand youth, women’s and men’s role in the fishery sector. Women’s participation in community level fisheries initiatives will be promoted and supported. The relationship between local governments and non-governmental institutions will be strengthened with a view to ensuring support for local community initiatives. Research will be conducted to develop sustainable livelihoods projects and explore market opportunities. Investment opportunities will be sought for the establishment of new fisheries projects (i.e. aquaculture, mariculture, FADs and post-harvest activities).