In the small island developing states of the Pacific, catching, trading and eating fish are central to the way of life and local and national economies. Local and external pressures on marine resources, and high reliance on fisheries as a livelihood, mean that improving and sustaining fisheries benefits is a key pathway to improve human wellbeing and contribute to food and nutrition security. This project aims to improve the wellbeing of Pacific coastal communities through more resilient fisheries as a foundation. The project contributes to the Pacific Community's New Song strategy, which calls for a stronger, co-ordinated approach to developing and managing coastal fisheries. The project aims to: (1) strengthen Pacific institutions to implement the New Song for coastal fisheries; (2) improve and scale out CBFM in Kiribati, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu; (3) improve the opportunities, viability and performance of livelihoods in support of CBFM initiatives; (4) increase social and gender equity in coastal fisheries governance, utilization and benefit distribution; and (5) promote food and nutrition security in the Pacific food system through improved management and use of fish. The project builds on community-based management and multi-level governance efforts in preceding projects led by WorldFish with national and regional partners.
