The New Zealand Government is hoping a group of Pacific people who are undergoing a fisheries course will lead to better management of fisheries in the Pacific region.
The group of 18 trainees from nine Pacific Island nations including Solomon Islands, Nauru, Tuvalu and Kiribati began the Pacific Fisheries Extension Officer Course in the South Island
yesterday.
The New Zealand Minister of Fisheries, Phil Heatley, says the government is investing over 380 thousand US dollars to fund the programme, as it believes it'll lead to a boost in fishing operations.
"Essentially if those Pacific nations can have expertise amongst their own people, particularly on fisheries management and science, surveillance and making sure that they capture the crooks out on the sea, pilfering and plunging the fishery, that would be good. And enforcement, that would be good too."
Phil Heatley says better management of fisheries will lead to greater income generation for Pacific nations, as well as healthy fish stocks across the Pacific region.
