The Forum Fisheries Agency is planning to upgrade its fisheries monitoring in the Pacific by hiring a private firm to manage its regional surveillance programme.
The FFA coordinates its own fishing vessel monitoring, with all fishing vessels in the Pacific required to have equipment on board that continuously transmits data to the FFA and the nation whose waters the vessel is in.
The Marshall Islands fisheries director, Glen Joseph, says because of overlapping fisheries monitoring and management in the region, which includes the FFA and the Parties to the Nauru agreement among others, there is a need to expand the system.
Mr Joseph says the FFA has shortlisted three firms to work in Solomon Islands to manage the system, and a decision on which company will carry out the work is expected next month.
