The meeting was organised by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community and Food and Agriculture Organisation (SPC) of the United Nations, reports SaipanTribune.
Senior fisheries officers and national focal points for climate change in Pacific Island countries and territories, not-for-profit organisations and funding bodies are attending.
Mike Batty, director of SPC's Fisheries Division, said that countries need to take action now, as changes are already being felt and will gather pace in future.
“Tuna, reef and freshwater fisheries will all be affected as the oceans get warmer and more acidic,” he said. “The changes will affect economies, jobs and food, and countries of the region have to plan to minimise potential damage and maximise new opportunities.”
Cassandra De Young, FAO Fishing Planning Analyst, said climate change will compound existing pressures on fisheries and aquaculture.
“The question of how to meet existing demand for fish while ensuring the resilience of these systems and their dependent communities in the face of climate change poses a great challenge for fisheries and aquaculture management,” she said.
Mr Batty said that, according to research so far: skipjack tuna are expected to move to the eastern Pacific and catches will increase; bigeye tuna catches are likely to decline; coral reefs will be severely affected and reef fishing will decline; and there should be new opportunities in freshwater aquaculture.
Research results were published by SPC last November in the book Vulnerability of Tropical Pacific Fisheries and Aquaculture to Climate Change. SPC's Dr Johann Bell was the lead editor of this comprehensive study, which brought together assessments by 90 scientists and fisheries and aquaculture specialists from throughout the Asia and Pacific region.
The workshop looked in detail at the implications of the projected changes, and possible actions the countries of the Pacific could take.
“The best strategy is to get fisheries in the region in the best possible shape to cope with the stresses coming our way,” Mr Batty said.
He said countries should move now to reduce fishing to sustainable levels, and take positive action to protect coral reefs, mangroves, seagrasses and inter-tidal flats from threats such as sediment runoff from mining and forestry operations.
American Samoa, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Wallis and Futuna are all represented at the meeting.
AusAID and the governments of New Caledonia, Japan and Sweden provided support for the meeting.
Both SPC and FAO are members of the Global Partnership for Climate, Fisheries and Aquaculture.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Although Germany’s tuna imports have declined, Vietnam’s tuna exports to the market continue to show positive signs. Notably, export value recovered strongly in Q3/2026, and German import data also show Vietnamese products strengthening their position amid competition among suppliers.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Seafood exports are holding double-digit growth, but the opportunities are not spread evenly across product groups and markets. As businesses draw up their plans for 2027, Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026 (VSS2026) offers a chance to look ahead together: what to sell, where to sell it, and how to prepare for growth in the coming years.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) With less than two weeks to go, the Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026 (VSS 2026) will officially take place in Can Tho. Under the theme “Seafood Market Outlook 2027–2029 – Opportunities and Potential for Double-Digit Export Growth,” the Summit is organized by VASEP at a time when seafood businesses are facing rapid market shifts, changing buyer demand, trade policy changes and growing competitive pressure all at once.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On October 28, 2026, the China Fisheries & Seafood Expo opened in Qingdao, China. The expo takes place over three days from October 28 to 30, 2026. This is a prestigious specialized seafood exhibition organized annually by Sea Fare Exposition Inc.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first nine months of 2026, Vietnam’s tilapia exports to the CPTPP bloc reached $7 million, marking a 51% year-on-year increase. The bloc rstands as the fourth-largest market for Vietnamese tilapia, trailing Brazil, the US, and Saudi Arabia.
(vasep.com.vn) VASEP has officially announced the program for Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026 (VSS 2026), featuring five in-depth sessions covering industry outlooks, trade barriers, buyer demand, the domestic market, and solutions to improve productivity and reduce costs across the seafood value chain.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s shrimp exports reached US$3.7 billion in the first nine months of 2026, up 11% year on year. Although growth has been supported by China and several markets within the CPTPP, momentum is slowing as exports to the United States and the European Union decline. Tariff pressures, international competition, and raw material challenges are creating significant hurdles for exporters in the final months of the year.
(vasep.com.vn) Markets are changing faster, buyer requirements are becoming more demanding, and trade barriers are growing increasingly complex. In this environment, seafood businesses need more than an understanding of current market conditions. They need a longer-term perspective to answer a critical question: Where will growth opportunities come from in 2027–2029, and what should businesses do now to prepare? This is one of the key reasons why VASEP is organizing Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first eight months of 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to the Middle East reached US$113 million, up 7% year on year from the same period in 2025. Growth has become more pronounced in recent months. In August alone, exports to the region totaled US$20 million, an increase of 24%. This indicates that demand for Vietnamese pangasius in the Middle East is gradually recovering after a slowdown in March, although the pace of recovery varies across markets.
(vasep.com.vn) China’s shrimp imports continued to grow strongly in 2026, while Vietnam’s shrimp exports to the market also recorded notable growth. However, behind these positive figures lie two distinct trends: Chinese consumption is growing more slowly than imports, and lobster accounts for a substantial share of Vietnam’s shrimp exports to China, making its product mix significantly different from those of Ecuador and India. Exporters therefore need to assess each segment carefully to understand the opportunities and risks.
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