Fiji Tightens Net on Illegal Fishing with Enhanced Surveillance and Patrols

Fiji is bolstering its defenses against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities, deploying a comprehensive suite of surveillance and enforcement tools to safeguard its vast 1.2 million square kilometer exclusive economic zone.

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Our tuna fisheries are not merely an economic sector, they are an integral component of Fiji’s cultural heritage, national identity and food security.

Minister for Fisheries and Forestry Alitia Bainivalu stressed the critical importance of the nation's tuna fisheries, highlighting their significance beyond the economy to Fiji's food security and cultural identity. "Our tuna fisheries are not merely an economic sector, they are an integral component of Fiji’s cultural heritage, national identity and food security," she told Parliament.

Bainivalu warned that unchecked IUU fishing poses a substantial threat, undermining conservation efforts, damaging the domestic economy, and infringing upon the sovereign wealth of the Fijian people. To combat this, Fiji has activated its Fisheries Surveillance and Operations Centre, leveraging real-time satellite imagery and vessel monitoring systems in collaboration with the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency.

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If left unchecked, IUU fishing undermines decades of conservation work, sabotages the domestic economy, and steals the sovereign wealth of the Fijian people.

Furthermore, all foreign fishing vessels entering Fijian ports undergo rigorous physical inspections following risk assessments. Fiji is also extending its enforcement reach into international waters through regional cooperation and Shiprider agreements. While welcoming these measures, Opposition MP Semi Koroilavesau cautioned that illegal fishing could also be occurring within Fiji's own licensed fleet.

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I also wish to add that illegal and unreported fishing also is within our own licensed fisheries.