This week, Vanuatu Fisheries Department (VFD) will hold a four (4) days Fisheries Regulation Consultation between VFD, it's partners and stakeholders in Luganville, Santo.
The purpose of this consultation is for VFD to present the draft regulations to its partners and stakeholders (Fishers, Provincial Secretary Generals and Community Based- Authorize Officers) and harvest inputs and feedbacks to improve on the draft regulations.
This will be an important exercise to ensure stakeholders inputs are accommodated and well addressed.
The regulation review is important given the gradual changes in population growth, economic challenges, demand for healthy livelihoods due to rise in Non-Communicable Disease cases at national level affecting the people's livelihoods in terms of capital and employment.
These changes bore much weight on natural resources and in Vanuatu's case, its marine resources.
The current regulation governing coastal fisheries activities was gazette in 2009 covering both offshore and coastal fisheries activities and this week will be under review and will be repealed making way for 2 new regulations and that is Offshore Fisheries Regulation and Coastal Fisheries Regulation.
To avoid overexploitation of our marine resources, these changes need to happen to address challenges faced in coastal fisheries resource management at the community level.
