The Coastal Fisheries Development Programme, deals with the fisheries carried out by Pacific Islanders within coastal waters and addresses the major difficulty of managing coral reef fisheries in the region in the absence of robust scientific information on the status of the fishery.
Pacific ACP countries have a combined Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of some 2 0 million km 2, a total land area just over half a million km 2 and a total population of about 7 million. The Region attaches particular importance to the sustainable development of Fisheries as this sector is considered to have the most potential for revenue generation and sustainable economic growth. Whilst tuna fisheries underpin the region's main hope for future economic self- sufficiency, it is the coastal fisheries which underpin current livelihoods and continued food security.
Coastal fishery is the main source of cash and subsistence for many rural communities. Coral reef fisheries in particular are characterised both by their strong influence on the everyday lives of ordinary women and men, and by the lack of hard information necessary for governments and communities to make decisions about the management of reef fisheries. The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) has inter alia the region's mandate for fisheries research and stock monitoring, including both oceanic and coastal components. Findings are used to promote the economic and social development of the region.
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