Papua New Guinea: Fisher communities living along the coastlines and islands of the Bismarck Sea in northwest Papua New Guinea started to receive new engine-mounted craft boats. The new equipment helps improve communities' livelihood and well-being, which mainly depends on coastal fishing.The support, provided by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), is part of the EU-funded STREIT PNG Programme to drive the sustainable development of agri-food value chains, improve diets, enrich nutrition, and support food security in rural communities. Under this work plan, eight 23 ft craft boats with 40 HP outboard motor engines, and fishing…

BANGLADESH: The government has set a target to produce 8.5 million tonnes of fish by 2041, said Minister for Fisheries and Livestock SM Rezaul Karim. “The government has set a target to produce 8.5 million tonnes of fish by 2041, which is 1.8 times higher than the current production,” he said while speaking at a press briefing held at Matsya Bhaban on the occasion of National Fisheries Week-2023. The government has taken various steps to ensure that the fish produced in the country are safe for the health of the human being, he said. The National Fisheries Week-2013 is being…

MALDIVES: The World Bank has approved a USD64.8 million project to strengthen regional fisheries management in the South-West Indian Ocean (SWIO) region to improve the competitiveness of the Maldives fisheries sector. The Transforming Fisheries Sector Management in South-West Indian Ocean Region and Maldives Project (TransFORM) aims to improve fisheries management in the region, and strengthen the regional collaboration by producing and sharing knowledge, data, and research to support evidence-based decision-making; improving fisheries and fish stock assessments; providing targeted capacity development; and promoting effective collaboration with other fisheries management regional initiatives. Speaking about the project, the World Bank Country Director for…

CHINA: Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong said China stands ready to deepen practical cooperation with Pacific island countries in agriculture and fishery to make new contributions to building an even closer community with a shared future between China and Pacific island countries. Liu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks when speaking at the opening ceremony of the China-Pacific island countries agriculture and fishery ministers meeting in Nanjing. Liu said "under the strategic guidance of leaders of the two sides, China and Pacific island countries have achieved fruitful results…