The Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) is optimistic 
about the Solomon Islands’ new longline licensing policy 
and believes it will create 500 new jobs in Noro. 

The licences require that fish caught in the country’s 
waters be unloaded and processed there, thereby increasing 
employment through extra processing and handling jobs. The 
fish will then be exported, jumpstarting the country’s 
foreign exchange earnings and improving its balance of 
payments.

“There has been a lot of discussions of late about how 
Solomon Islands can develop its tuna resources in a way 
that lands real economic benefits to Solomon Islanders,” 
said Director of the Secretariat Dr Transform 
Aqorau. “These benefits must permeate in the way of jobs 
both offshore on vessels as general deckhand, engineers, 
first officers, navigators, fishing master and captain, to 
employment opportunities onshore in processing plants from 
sorting, cleaning, scraping, packing, weighing, labelling, 
and marketing.”

The new licensing policy also allows for boats to unload 
their catch outside of Solomon Islands this year, subject 
to payment by the fishing boat of a penalty. This fish 
will not be inspected by officials from the Ministry of 
Fishing and Marine Resources, Island Business reports.

Boats which maximise their Solomon Islands landings may 
have priority in the future.

Tri Marine’s National Fisheries Developments Limited (NFD) 
has been granted 50 longline licenses. Soltai and NFD 
currently employ over 1,000 Solomon Islanders.
 
The new licensing policy will allow Soltai to add a second 
shift to its processing operations and augment its exports 
of processed fish.

“The government’s move will not only provide new jobs, but 
will also stimulate the creation of new businesses that 
will cater to the fishing boats and their crews, which 
will now be calling at Solomon Islands ports to buy food, 
supplies, fuel, bait, make repairs, and enjoy Solomon 
Islands hospitality,” said Joe Hamby, Tri Marine’s Group 
Managing Director. 

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo sealed a 
Service Level Agreement (SLA) with Forum Fisheries Agency 
(FFA) Director General Su’a Tanielu this week, defining 
the tasks and activities FFA will do with the Ministry of 
Fisheries and Marine Resources with over the next three 
years, Solomon Star reports.

This assistance will primarily involve tuna management and 
practical advice on stocks within the Exclusive Economic 
Zone (EEZ).

Lilo said this agreement will form a new basis in 
leadership and help ensure better tuna management and 
monitoring.

“This is to ensure that benefits from our tuna resources 
are well reflected in the way we deliver on the services 
to our country Solomon Islands,” he said.