Fiji Budget Allocates Millions Of Dollars To Tuna Sector

The Fijian government announced its 2025-26 budget earlier this month. Alitia Bainivalu, Minister for Fisheries and Forestry, said that FJD 24.9 million (USD 11.03 million) is allocated to overhauling the country’s tuna and other fisheries sector. The funds would be used for multiple purposes, including setting the foundation for Fiji’s move to enter two new RFMOs – the IATTC and CCSBT, and hosting the 9th Pacific Tuna Forum. The Ministry has secured FJD 562,500 (USD 249,130) for the event, to be held on October 14 and 15, and organized under the theme ‘Pacific Tuna 2050: Resilience, Innovation, and Equity and Sustainable Trade for a Prosperous Future.’

Bainivalu told the Parliament, where the budget was presented, that fishers need operational cold storage, fully-functional boats, and accessible markets to sell their tuna and other seafood catches, reported the Pacific News Service. The Fijian tuna fleet comprises longliners that catch albacore, bigeye, yellowfin, and some tuna-like species in its own EEZ and other Pacific Island nations.