Fiji Unveils Integrated Fisheries and Forestry Reforms with New Laws, Real-Time Vessel Tracking and Local Tuna Processing Push

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Fisheries and forests are central to Fiji’s food security, rural livelihoods and broader economic development, Minister for Fisheries and Forestry Alitia Bainivalu told Parliament on Monday, setting out fresh legislative and operational steps to sharpen resource management and boost value retention from the country’s ocean resources.

Speaking in response to President Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu’s 2026 opening address, Bainivalu said the ministries responsible for fisheries and forestry must be integrated across government to deliver on a unified national development vision. “The sustainable management of our oceans, forests, and natural capital requires precisely this integrated architecture where environment, economy, land, climate resilience, trade and social inclusion are aligned under a unified national agenda,” she told MPs, stressing that fisheries and forestry are “central pillars” in delivering food security, export earnings, climate mitigation, rural livelihoods and biodiversity conservation.

The minister outlined recent legal reforms and a forward legislative agenda aimed at modernising fisheries governance. Over 2024–2025, the government enacted the Aquaculture Act 2024 and passed the Fisheries (Amendment) Bill 2025, legislation Bainivalu said will “modernise the enforcement and compliance framework” by introducing measures such as an inshore fixed penalty notice as a first-tier deterrent against non-compliance. She added that work will continue through 2025 on the Inshore Fisheries Management Bill, an Offshore Fisheries Management Act and accompanying regulations, plus Aquaculture Regulations to guide sustainable aquaculture development.

Operationally, Bainivalu highlighted a major upgrade in surveillance capability. In April 2025 the Ministry launched the National Fisheries Surveillance and Operations Centre at the Fisheries Station in Walu Bay, equipped with a modern vessel monitoring system and satellite access to enable real-time tracking of vessels across Fiji’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The centre forms part of stepped-up Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS) efforts the minister said are needed in light of “escalating incidence of illicit activities” and to counter illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Beyond enforcement and regulation, the ministry is pursuing economic measures to increase the retention value of fisheries resources. Bainivalu said the government is working with development partners to promote local processing of tuna caught in Fijian waters, aiming to create employment and capture more of the sector’s downstream value. The minister pointed to the successful convening of the 9th Pacific Tuna Forum in Nadi in October 2024 as a demonstration of Fiji’s role in regional fisheries leadership and in pushing for sustainable management across the Pacific.

Bainivalu framed these moves as aligned with the national development priorities set out by the President for 2026, emphasising a whole-of-government approach that links environmental sustainability with economic transformation and social inclusion. The minister indicated the combined legal, surveillance and processing initiatives are intended to both safeguard marine resources and convert them into more resilient, value-adding opportunities for communities across Fiji.