The Cook Islands Ministry of Marine Resources organized a workshop for Cook Island community level/semi commercial fishermen to discuss issues to give directions for the Ministry on managing conflicts like the usage and management of FADs. Representatives of established and existing fishing associations and fishing clubs representing the coastal troll and FAD fishers – both artisanal and semi-commercial also including the game-fishers met in Rarotonga on 22-25 November.

These different fishing clubs and associations agree that whilst they have their own immediate interests and objectives for their members, there is no clear agreed upon mechanism to coordinate their common affairs and interests and therefore there is greater purpose and need for this national collective representative association.

Jonathan Manieva the EU-DEVFISH officer from SPC was invited by the Ministry to co-facilitate the workshop. As the guest speaker, he set the scene by providing observations of lessons learnt from the DevFish project and why it is appropriate to have a peak body association highlighting the challenges and benefits.

They agreed on the need and established the Cook Islands Fishing Association as the national fishers’ peak representative body.

Association officer bearers were elected including Mark Vaikai from the Avana Fishing Club as the President. Representatives from Business Investment Trade Board acknowledged the national body as the ideal vehicle to prioritize its members needs and develop funding proposal to these relevant support grant schemes it administers.

Representatives of member associations/clubs identified a number of priority needs that the national association will assess and strategize this ‘wish list’ into a development plan and pursue with appropriate Government agencies and development agencies.

The EU-DEVFISH project made a commitment to provide funding assistance to establish the Association’s support officer who will assist the association executives to commence the association’s functions and programs.

Meeting also discussed FAD usage and management matters whilst accommodating inter-relationship views and interests from the different categories of FAD users. MMR noted the proposals and discuss with Cook Islands Fishing Association in the review process of the FAD Management Plan.

Participants commented that it was a useful meeting, noting they have gained good outcomes with establishment of small grant funding for their territorial needs and optimistic hopes of the usefulness and the benefits the national Cook Islands Fishing Association will facilitate for all interests collectively.

For more information, please contact: Jonathan Manieva, Fisheries Development Officer (DevFish)