Tuna: A Key Economic Resource in the Pacific Islands ; Pacific Studies Series

Abstract

It is well known that fish and fishing are tremendously important to the people of the Pacific Islands. Much of the nutrition, welfare, culture, recreation, government revenue, and employment in the region are based on its living marine resources. What is less appreciated is that, besides being the most important of the fisheries in the region, tuna fisheries produce about ten times the amount of fish produced by all the other fisheries of the region combined. Their value is over seven times that of all the other Pacific Islands fisheries combined.