Community-Based Fisheries Management in the Pacific
Status report on CBFM across 22 Pacific Island Countries and Territories. Drawn from the 70-page Govan & Lalavanua 2022 survey — the most comprehensive baseline of community-managed coastal fisheries in the region. Complemented by SPC's 2025 Coastal Fishery Report Card and the FAME Results Register.
CBFM sites per Pacific Island country/territory
Number of active CBFM sites reported per PICT in the 2022 SPC survey. Sub-region colour-coded: Melanesia (teal), Polynesia (green), Micronesia (purple). Hover any bar for community coverage and area details.
Country-level indicators
Per-PICT snapshot of CBFM coverage, governance and partnership infrastructure. Country names link to the full country portal.
| Country / Territory | Region | Sites | Communities | Area (ha) | Lead agency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Samoa | Polynesia | — | — | — | American Samoa Department of Marine & Wildlife Resources (DMWR) |
| Cook Islands | Polynesia | — | — | — | Ministry of Marine Resources (MMR) |
| Federated States of Micronesia | Micronesia | 8 | — | — | MRMD – others?; Department of Marine Resources (DMR); DFMR; OFA |
| Fiji | Melanesia | — | — | — | Ministry of Fisheries |
| French Polynesia | Polynesia | — | — | — | La Direction des Ressources Marines (DRM) pour les ZPR uniquement |
| Guam | Micronesia | — | — | — | Department of Agriculture (DA) – Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources (DAWR) |
| Kiribati | Micronesia | 26 | 36,194 | — | Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resource Development (MFMRD) |
| Marshall Islands | Micronesia | 14 | — | — | MIMRA |
| N. Mariana Islands | Micronesia | — | — | — | Department of Lands and Natural Resources (DLNR) |
| Nauru | Micronesia | — | — | — | Nauru Fisheries and Marine Resources Authority (NFMRA) |
| New Caledonia | Melanesia | 12 | 4 | — | Staff in coastal (total) 11 (26) |
| Niue | Polynesia | — | — | — | DAFF Fisheries Team |
| Palau | Micronesia | — | — | — | Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Environment |
| Papua New Guinea | Melanesia | 32 | — | 4,000 | National fisheries agency (NFA) |
| Pitcairn Islands | Polynesia | — | — | — | Government of Pitcairn Islands, Environmental, Conservation & Natural Resources |
| Samoa | Polynesia | 111 | 566 | — | MAF – Fisheries Division |
| Solomon Islands | Melanesia | 24 | — | 3,000 | MFMR |
| Tokelau | Polynesia | 12 | 4 | — | Fisheries Management Agency (FMA), Taupulega |
| Tonga | Polynesia | — | — | — | Ministry of Fisheries, Community Development and Advisory Section (CDAS) |
| Tuvalu | Polynesia | 12 | 4 | — | Tuvalu Fisheries Department, Falekaupules |
| Vanuatu | Melanesia | 3 | 5 | — | VFD |
| Wallis & Futuna | Polynesia | 12 | 4 | — | Direction des Services de l’Agriculture, de la foret et de la Peche. DSA |
CBFM by Pacific sub-region
PICTs grouped by sub-region. Each card shows reported CBFM sites where data is available. Click a country to open its portal.
Melanesia
- Fiji—
- Papua New Guinea32 sites
- Solomon Islands24 sites
- Vanuatu3 sites
- New Caledonia12 sites
Polynesia
- Samoa111 sites
- Tonga—
- Cook Islands—
- Niue—
- Tokelau12 sites
- French Polynesia—
- Wallis & Futuna12 sites
- American Samoa—
- Tuvalu12 sites
- Pitcairn Islands—
Micronesia
- Kiribati26 sites
- Marshall Islands14 sites
- Federated States of Micronesia8 sites
- Palau—
- Nauru—
- Guam—
- N. Mariana Islands—
Headline findings — the state of CBFM in 2022
The most comprehensive baseline of community-based fisheries management ever compiled for the Pacific Islands. Govan & Lalavanua surveyed all 22 PICTs through 2021–2022, with 14 PICTs formally endorsing their dataset and most others providing data through SPC, fisheries agencies or partner NGOs.
Four country pathways — the most strategically useful insight from the survey
Approaches to support coastal fisheries management are too often treated as homogeneous. The survey shows each PICT is unique in status and approach — and identifies four broad groupings that require fundamentally different support strategies. As A New Song warned, site-based CBFM alone cannot meet food security goals in the larger countries.
Large/dispersed countries — need enabling environment
Despite impressive progress in some (Kiribati, Timor-Leste, Vanuatu) or substantial site numbers (Solomon Islands), site-based planning cannot reach enough communities to scale. The cost-effective enabling-environment elements of the Framework for Action — information, awareness, legislation, capacity — are most relevant here.
PICTs: PNG, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Timor-Leste, Fiji
High coverage achieved — focus on quality
High site-based CBFM coverage already achieved or imminent. Future strategies should focus on improving aspects of effectiveness and sustainability — keeping sites active, monitoring impact and resourcing them long-term.
PICTs: Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, RMI
Strategic review needed
High coverage could be achieved but progress has slowed or stopped. Conservation agendas may be undermining clear thinking on fundamental fisheries management strategies. Review of experiences and objectives needed to redefine strategic approaches.
PICTs: Fiji, FSM, Palau
Territory-specific or emerging approaches
Niue, Pitcairn and American Samoa are initiating promising site-based or community approaches. French Polynesia is making good progress on zone-based and traditional approaches. NC, Wallis & Futuna, Guam and CNMI may have varying — or no — roles for CBFM.
PICTs: Niue, Pitcairn, American Samoa, French Polynesia, NC, W&F, Guam, CNMI
Staffing & capacity — the operational backbone
Without staff to run CBFM, legislation and policy are paper commitments. The survey is the first to quantify regional CBFM staffing — and shows that operational capacity sits well behind the legislative progress.
"While staffing may be a good indicator of national support for coastal fisheries, it is hard to assess what numbers would be adequate to the tasks at hand, or whether staff are sufficiently supported by operational budgets to perform them." — Govan & Lalavanua, p. 15
Tenure, rights & the legislation landscape
The survey explored three rights dimensions for communities: access (right to fish), exclusion (right to keep others out), and management (right to set rules). In most PICTs it is impossible to assert that there are "clear user rights" as called for by Pacific leaders in the Roadmap.
Substantial community rights
Traditional/customary ownership of coastal areas: Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Tokelau. Foreshore extends to communities; CBFM has firm legal anchor.
Practical rights arrangements
State-owned but community management enabled: Samoa (village fono), Tonga (gazetted SMAs), Solomon Islands (community plans under Fisheries Act 2015).
Unclear / state-only rights
No substantial community rights detected or top-down systems: NMI, French Polynesia, Wallis & Futuna. CBFM less applicable or limited to MPA arrangements.
New primary fisheries legislation since 2014
New protected-area / related legislation since 2014
Fisheries policies recognising CBFM/traditional
Of these policies came after 2014 — strong momentum
Red flag — PNG and Fiji
These two countries together account for more than half the Pacific Island coastal population, yet neither provided CBFM data through formal channels — and the issues are believed to go beyond poor survey response.
The report's authors explicitly recommend flagging concerns relating to coastal fisheries management status in Fiji and PNG to high-level stakeholders — donors, Heads of Fisheries, ministers. Without action on these two countries, the regional CBFM picture is fundamentally incomplete.
Strategic recommendations from the survey
The authors' five priority recommendations distil the analytical core of the report. They frame what regional partners, donors and national agencies should focus on over the next phase of CBFM scaling.
- Improve documentation and tracking of CBFM sites. National and subnational agencies should consider public registries and databases. Solomon Islands' three-level (awareness → support → technical assistance) tracking tool and French Polynesia's online ZPR map provide useful models. Without timely tracking it is impossible to gauge reach, let alone impact.
- Clarify the synergies (and tensions) between fisheries management and biodiversity conservation. In several PICTs — particularly FSM, Palau, Timor-Leste — MPAs designated for biodiversity outcomes are being reported as CBFM despite limited fisheries objectives or community enforceability. Integrating traditional management into resource-management strategies (rather than conservation-led approaches) is recommended.
- Flag the PNG and Fiji situation to high-level stakeholders. The two countries account for >50% of the region's coastal population. Their absence from formal reporting and weak CBFM signals warrant attention from donors, Heads of Fisheries and ministers.
- Tailor support to the four country pathways. Site-based approaches cannot scale in larger countries; small-island PICTs need different inputs than dispersed Melanesian states. Approaches assuming homogeneity will under-perform.
- Shift from legislation to implementation. Policy progress is impressive — focus now must move to operational support: budgets, staffing, workplans, simple monitoring. Public awareness and information strategies need consistent attention in most PICTs.
Bottom line for the region
CBFM is now part of the management landscape across most PICTs — with LMMAs, special management areas, tabu zones and community-managed marine areas collectively covering ~1.45 million hectares. Site numbers grew from 8.2% (2015) to 10% (2022) of coastal communities. Legislative momentum is real: 5 new primary fisheries acts and 10 of 13 supportive policies have come since 2014.
But the picture is uneven. Six small-population PICTs have achieved ≥50% coverage; the largest countries — where most Pacific coastal people live — remain at ~5%. No PICT has a finalised CBFM scaling-up strategy aligned with the Pacific Framework for Action 2021–2025. The next phase has to combine legislation already in place with the staffing, financing, information systems and country-specific pathways needed to translate paper commitments into community-level outcomes.
This 2022 baseline directly informs SPC's update of the CBFM Pacific Framework for Action through 2030 and is the principal evidence base for CBFM scaling-up support across the region.
Scaling Up CBFM in the Pacific — Outlook 2026
A joint FAO–SPC outlook report, building directly on the 2022 baseline. Where the Status report measured progress to date, this Outlook charts the way forward — examining major challenges and opportunities through to 2030, with strategic priority actions for governments, partners and communities.
Authors: Govan H., Tuxson T., Tauati M., Lalavanua W., Schwarz A. & Kinch J. (2026) · Publishers: FAO and SPC · Funded by: EU through FAO's Blue Transformation Roadmap 2022–2030
Why this outlook matters now
The Pacific Islands region is at a critical juncture in the stewardship of its coastal fisheries. The Outlook report builds on three converging frameworks:
- Pacific Framework for Action on Scaling up CBFM (2021–2030) — the region's designated approach to coastal fisheries management. Mid-term review due 2028.
- FAO Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries (SSF Guidelines) — the global instrument for participatory fisheries management, which CBFM is the most strategic means of advancing in the Pacific.
- FAO Blue Transformation Roadmap 2022–2030 — the framework strengthening aquatic food systems for food security, livelihoods and ecological resilience.
Adding to these, the report engages directly with the 30×30 push under the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, examining how CBFM can be the Pacific's culturally grounded contribution to global biodiversity targets — without being displaced by externally-driven conservation agendas.
Coverage trajectory — 2022 baseline → 2024 update
Community coverage of CBFM by PICT, sorted from highest to lowest. The 2026 Outlook reports several 2024 updates: Vanuatu's jump from 11% to 88% is the most significant — 527 of an estimated 600 communities now implement at least one fisheries rule. Bars are colour-coded by sub-region.
The headline numbers — 2024 inventory
Coverage figures reported across 15 PICTs in the Outlook report — based on the latest SPC Regional CBFM Workshop data (2025).
Staffing by PICT — the operational reality
Total coastal fisheries staff per PICT (2024 update across 13 reporting PICTs). Kiribati leads on absolute staffing; high per-capita ratios in Cook Islands, Tuvalu and Nauru indicate stronger relative investment.
Gender representation in fisheries agencies
2024 SPC survey of 11 PICTs. Women now hold roughly one third of fisheries roles overall, but representation is much stronger in full-time CBFM positions (45%) than in subnational coastal roles (16%) — a pattern worth tracking as scaling-up accelerates.
| Role | Total | % Women |
|---|---|---|
| National coastal fisheries (FT) | 311 | 37% |
| National CBFM (full-time) | 55 | 45% |
| National CBFM (part-time) | 104 | 23% |
| Subnational coastal | 96 | 16% |
Policy and strategy status across 22 PICTs
2026 Outlook reports significant policy progress but a sharper gap on strategy: legislation and policy exists across most of the region, but only 3 PICTs have finalised national CBFM scaling-up strategies aligned with the Pacific Framework for Action 2021–2030.
Coastal fisheries policies
National CBFM scaling-up strategies
Outlook structured around four themes
Each theme identifies opportunities and proposes concrete priority actions for the period to 2030.
Customary marine tenure as the foundation
CBFM rests on the co-existence of customary and statutory systems — tabu, tapu, mo, bul, lafu, sa, ra'ui. Most PICs recognise both but legal support is uneven and rights need to be balanced with responsibilities.
Key actions: Strengthen legal frameworks supporting customary marine tenure · Build on traditional ecological knowledge · Improve and enforce Preferential Access Areas (PAAs) · Explore transition to Artisanal Stewardship Areas (ASAs) · Safeguard against market-based transfers of community rights.
CBFM as the Pacific's path to global targets
CBFM sites already constitute the majority of officially reported coastal marine protected areas in the Pacific. Risk: global conservation agendas (30×30, KMGBF, OECMs) overshadow or displace homegrown CBFM if applied without regard for local realities.
Key actions: Ensure global policy aligns with Pacific governance · Caution against modifying CBFM to fit OECM definitions · Promote evidence-based discussions between fisheries and conservation sectors · Improve tracking of CBFM and community conservation areas · Secure investments from conservation budgets for ongoing CBFM costs.
Chronic underfunding is the binding constraint
CBFM implementation hampered by inadequate operational budgets at national and subnational levels, reliance on short-term donor projects, and policy ambitions disconnected from recurrent funding. Provincial and island offices often lack resources to reach remote communities.
Key actions: Secure long-term budgetary support for coastal fisheries · Embed CBFM in national/subnational institutions · Allocate 3–10% of offshore fisheries revenue (e.g. tuna access fees) to coastal management · Build robust MCSE systems using the VADE model (voluntary, assisted, directed, enforced) · Strengthen community networks & feedback · Adopt the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI).
Climate change is now the dominant driver
Substantial declines in coastal fish biomass projected by 2050, particularly where fisheries are already overexploited or poorly managed. CBFM recognised as one of the most effective adaptation tools — but must be inclusive of women, youth and people with disabilities (GEDSI).
Key actions: Accelerate Framework for Action implementation as a climate response · Protect & restore coastal habitats (ridge-to-reef) · Diversify food systems through inshore FADs (iFADs) · Institutionalise GEDSI in CBFM · Improve cost-effective monitoring · Use value chain assessments (e.g. sea cucumber, sea grapes) · Approach aquaculture with realism — context-specific assessment required.
Emerging concepts the Outlook puts on the table
Three policy innovations that move the regional CBFM conversation forward.
Artisanal Stewardship Areas (ASAs)
Emerging concept: co-managed zones where small-scale fishers and coastal communities hold exclusive fishing rights with shared management responsibilities. ASAs evolve from existing Preferential Access Areas (PAAs) but go further — they exclude industrial fishing entirely, secure community livelihoods and may qualify under 30×30 / KMGBF Target 3 commitments. The report recommends PICs explore transitioning PAAs to ASAs.
VADE — graduated enforcement model
Voluntary → Assisted → Directed → Enforced. A graduated-response approach to MCSE that reinforces voluntary compliance through communications, awareness and fisher participation before escalating. Distinguishes community from non-community rule-breakers for context-appropriate enforcement. Designed to integrate with CBFM rather than override it.
Earmarking offshore revenue for coastal management
The Outlook proposes PICs earmark 3–10% of offshore fisheries revenue — such as tuna access fees through the Vessel Day Scheme — to fund CBFM and the wider functions of coastal fisheries management. Kiribati and Tuvalu show that reinvesting offshore revenue can support local governance, compliance activities, poverty reduction and livelihood diversification. Predictable funding · reduced donor dependence · alignment of offshore and coastal commitments.
Six case studies
The Outlook is anchored in six deep-dive case studies illustrating the themes in practice.
Vanuatu and Tonga — how customary and statutory rights co-exist
Resilience lessons across the region
Solomon Islands' three-level outreach model
Fiji and Samoa — community-led market development
Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands
Embedding TEK in fisheries planning processes
The forward-looking bottom line
CBFM, grounded in customary tenure and traditional ecological knowledge, offers the most effective and culturally appropriate approach to sustainable Pacific coastal fisheries. The Pacific Framework for Action 2021–2030 has been validated as the principal roadmap. The decade ahead requires action on three fronts:
- Sustainable financing — long-term operational budgets, embedded staff, offshore revenue reinvestment
- Policy coherence — ensure 30×30 and global agendas align with CBFM rather than displace it
- Inclusive resilience — institutionalise GEDSI, integrate climate adaptation, build community networks
The Framework for Action review in 2028 will be the milestone for assessing whether the region has translated the analytical clarity of this Outlook into operational reality at site, subnational and national levels.