Fiji is among 14 countries that will share in a US$156.8 million grant and co-finance package to help safeguard the socio-economic benefits received from tuna against the impacts of climate change.

A US$107m grant was secured by Conservation International and the Pacific Community (SPC) from the Green Climate Fund, and the deal also attracted a US$49.3m in co-finance.

The total US$156.8m package will support the 14 countries in terms of adapting to the impacts of ocean warming on tuna stocks, an issue which underpins Pacific economies and enables tuna fisheries make greater contributions to local food security.

The 14 countries include, Fiji, the Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu

They are custodians of one third of the world’s tuna catch and have managed this resource sustainably for decades.

“This landmark funding ensures our communities can continue relying on tuna as an essential source of food, revenue, and cultural value,” said Niue’s Minister for Natural Resources and Pacific Political Climate Change Champion on Gender, Equity and Social Inclusion, Mona Ainu’u.
“By adapting now, we can protect our people’s livelihoods and strengthen our resilience to climate change.”

Tuna is critical for both food and economic security in Small Island Developing States in the Pacific. Collectively, the tuna industry supports tens of thousands of jobs in the region and, for nine of the 14 countries, fees associated with tuna-fishing access alone provide an average of 34% of government revenue.
Due to declines in coastal fish production—caused by environmental changes such as coral bleaching—Pacific communities will increasingly need to depend on tuna to obtain the protein they require for food security.

Research by SPC and Conservation International shows an increasing risk that ocean warming will push tuna stocks away from the islands’ respective maritime zones and into international waters, potentially limiting the economic benefits that the 14 island nations currently derive from tuna fishing.

The research suggests that climate-driven tuna redistribution could reduce the average catch from Pacific Island waters by 10–30% by 2050, amounting to a collective loss of US$40–140 million annually. This economic loss represents 8–17% of government revenue per year for individual tuna-dependent economies.