6 Dec 2017

Access to fish stocks vital for revenue in Kiribati

8:29 am on 6 December 2017

The fisheries minister of Kiribati is calling for the international fishing community to help it get better access to fish stocks in the high seas.

Tuna on the deck of a Pacific fishing vessel.

Photo: RNZI/Giff Johnson

Tetabo Nakara spoke at the recent Western Central Pacific Commission emphasising that fishing in Kiribati is vital for its economy.

Mr Nakara said Kiribati had no land-based natural resources that would allow people to have stable and secure livelihoods as the lands are made of poor coralline soils.

He said this had pushed people in Kiribati to search elsewhere for a sustainable source of revenue.

Tuna fishing contributes heavily to Kiribati's government revenue.