PNA Steps Up Longline VDS Training In Kiribati And Fiji

The Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) Office organized two Longline Vessel Day Scheme (VDS) Industry Workshops in Kiribati and Fiji in October, both focused on the same topic.

The first one, organized in Kiribati, from October 13 to 16, was attended by representatives from Kiribati’s domestic longline fishing companies and VDS officers from the Ministry of Fisheries and Ocean Resources. Through presentations and practical sessions, participants examined the longline VDS’s objectives, operational requirements, and reporting obligations, including the roles of industry operators and government agencies. The PNA Office also outlined recent developments, including updates to PNA legal instruments, reporting procedures and compliance measures, with a focus on electronic reporting tools to improve data quality, monitoring and transparency in longline fisheries across PNA waters. The second workshop held in Fiji from October 21 to 24, brought together VDS and Data Officers from PNA countries and Vanuatu, alongside representatives from longline fishing companies operating approximately 80 longline vessels across PNA waters, with the same topics in focus, according to a PNA statement.