Corporate Plan of the Tuvalu Fisheries Department 2020/2022.

3rd Corporate Plan of the Tuvalu Fisheries Department is a national policy with a cross-sectoral approach. The timeframe of the Plan is 2 years covering the period from 2020 to 2022. The primary objectives of the Plan are: (I) sustainable management of Tuvalu’s oceanic fisheries resources; (II) maintaining and, where possible, increasing economic benefits from the tuna fishery; (III) improved management of coastal fisheries for sustainable inshore resources; (IV) supporting sustainable development of small-scale fisheries for livelihoods, food security and healthier diets; (V) improvement and maintenance of infrastructure and facilities of the Tuvalu Fisheries Department; (VI) development of staff capacity and systems; and (VII) promoting public awareness and education on fisheries issues.
Fisheries management and conservation will be improved in compliance with international fisheries treaties and arrangements to which Tuvalu is a party, including through regular review and updating of legislation and policies. Monitoring Control and Surveillance will be strengthened to regulate fishing by licensed foreign and domestic vessels and combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing. New systems and technology will be implemented to monitor the fishery and detect IUU fishing in territorial waters the EEZ and adjacent high seas areas. Data collection and analysis systems will be strengthened systems, including data from the oceanic fishery. Economic benefits from the tuna fishery will be increased by optimizing arrangements and systems to maximize and sustain government revenue from the sale of access rights to the resource, supporting the environmentally sustainable development of Funafuti as a transhipment port, maintaining the employment of Tuvaluans and developing opportunities for jobs, and developing systems needed for export of fisheries products from Tuvalu-flagged fishing vessels.
The monitoring and analysis of fishery resources will be improved to identify trends and problems, in order to provide reliable information on the status of the resources and on the effectiveness of management measures. Fisheries-related research and monitoring of the environment will be strengthened to mitigate the environmental impacts as needed for effective fisheries management as well as food safety. The projects identified for the fisheries sector will be implemented in the community plans developed with the Ridge to Reef approach. The cooperation between Kaupule, fishers’ associations, and other stakeholders will be strengthened to develop and/or implement coastal fishery management plans and by-laws to optimize resources and regulate harvesting of key species in each of the outer island. Training and support will be provided for small-scale fishers and processors in the fields of fishing skills, sea safety, and fish processing. Fishing opportunities will be created for fishers without vessels. Moreover, opportunities for marketing fish and fish products from the outer islands will be improved. The infrastructure and facilities of the Tuvalu Fisheries Department will be improved, and the capacities of the staff will be developed. Public awareness will be raised on fisheries issues through various means of communication channels and education.
The Plan addresses the cross-cutting issues for the sustainable development of the fisheries sector. In order to build resilience to climate change, infrastructure development will be planned to resist sea level rise, and projects will be developed to reduce fossil fuel use in the fisheries sector. The marine environment will be protected from pollution and other threats to sustain healthy fisheries resources. The employment of both men and women will be supported in the fisheries sector. Island communities will be empowered to manage their coastal fisheries resources to provide economic opportunities and generate employment for outer island communities.