Permanent Secretary for Fisheries, Atelaite Rokosuka, has verified the alarming findings of scientific research that show a significant reduction of fish stocks in our oceans.

Rokosuka emphasizes the complex nature of the issue, saying they are finding difficulty in dealing with highly migratory fish species that constantly move across vast expanses of the ocean.

The Permanent Secretary says that illegal, unreported and overfishing could be the contributing factors to the depletion of fish stocks.

“The EPSMA system, that’s one, our e-catch documentation system, that’s the other. IUU fishing is not an issue or problem that we can run away from. It’s a problem that we have to face head-on, and that is why we are moving away from all these manual cap systems to having digitized and automated systems so that we are able to get real-time information.”

Furthermore, Rokosuka says while certain studies reveal a concerning depletion of stocks, other research indicates a healthy stock of fish.

The Permanent Secretary highlights the interpretation of stock depletion is determined by the scientific investigation and the extent of the research done.