FFA Marks Ground-breaking Of The New Regional Fisheries Surveillance Centre

The Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) held a ground-breaking ceremony last week Friday 25 October 2024 in Honiara to unveil the design and commencement of the construction of a new building complex for its Regional Fisheries Surveillance Centre (RFSC).

The ceremony at the FFA Headquarters was attended by the Solomon Islands Prime Minister, Hon Jeremiah Manele, fisheries officials from the Forum Fisheries Committee (FFC), and partners involved in the agency’s surveillance work.

The new RFSC, a state-of-the-art facility with estimated costing of over US$7.1 million, is designed to enhance maritime surveillance, and regional cooperation among FFA’s 17 Members.

Equipped with advanced monitoring systems, the facility provides real-time Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA), enabling swift and informed responses to maritime security threats and combating Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Pacific.

These surveillance capabilities reflect the FFA's role as a leader in sustainable fisheries management, committed to protecting and preserving the world’s largest tuna fishery.

“Our Regional Fisheries Surveillance Centre is a symbol of unity,” said FFA Director-General Dr Manu Tupou-Roosen during the ceremony.

“We are so proud of what our [Members] have achieved—in setting up this Centre, in leading the world in tuna fisheries management and development. We are humbled to serve from the Secretariat.

“Whilst we recognise these amazing achievements, we always remember that what lies at the centre of our work is our people. Always remembering why we do what we do, and why we work together: Our People, Our Fisheries, Our Future.”

With the ground-breaking ceremony completed, construction of the new RFSC is set to commence in 2025 and is expected to be completed over the next two years.

The RFSC serves as the coordination centre for all FFA surveillance operations, assisting Members in monitoring the vast Pacific Ocean, which spans approximately 30 million square miles.

The current design phase of the new RFSC is supported by Australia.

About Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA)

FFA assists its 17 Members to sustainably manage fishery resources that fall within their 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs). FFA provides expertise, technical assistance and other support to its members who make decisions about their tuna resources and participate in regional decision making on tuna management. Find out more here: www.ffa.int

© Scoop Media