Sea Issues
Regional Agreement on Fishing in the South Pacific
Chile along with Australia and New Zealand sponsored an agreement to develop the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation. The Organisation regulates fishing in a large zone of high seas in the South Pacific. Previously this region had no regulatory system imposed and was henceforth exposed to uncontrolled fishing which has the potential to cause serious long term environmental damage.
The inaugural meeting of the organisation took place in Wellington, New Zealand on the 14th and 15th of February 2006. The second meeting will be held in Hobart, Australia from 6 - 10 November 2006 and this will be followed by the next meeting in Chile.
To view the inaugural speech by the Minister for Fisheries of New Zealand click here or for more information on the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation visit www.southpacificrfmo.org
