News about Ocean Equity Research
Book Chapter – Security Cooperation and Fisheries in the Pacific By Bianca Haas, Kamal Azmi, Kerrie Robertson, Transform Aqorau, and Quentin Hanich Pacific small island
The Honiara Summit (24-27 Feb) gathered Pacific leaders, ministers, and experts to advance SDG 14.4 on sustainable fisheries. Key topics included IUU fishing, climate impacts, and a $107M adaptation grant. The summit reinforced regional cooperation and sustainability ahead of the UN Oceans Conference in June 2025.
From the 28th of November to the 3rd of December 2024, Fiji hosted the 21st Annual Meeting of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), observed by five representatives of the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS).
This book outlines an analytical framework to understand power, influence, and statecraft in the Pacific Islands region. It provides ‘both sides of the story’ of statecraft and explores how power and influence are being exercised in the Pacific Islands. Quentin Hanich co-authors a chapter with Joanne Wallis, Michael Rose and Alan Tidwell on Australia and the United States Defence Diplomacy.
Engaging the wisdom of storytelling and traditional knowledge in decision-making.
Effective ocean governance is crucial for ensuring the sustainable development of ocean resources and ecosystems while balancing the needs of various stakeholders, including governments, industries, coastal communities, and environmental groups. It often involves international cooperation and coordination due to the transboundary nature of the oceans and the interconnectedness of marine ecosystems. Randa’s PHD research advocates for the integration of diverse narratives spanning timelines, cultures and countries with a goal of creating a dynamic, interactive story map.
This blog explains the interconnections between climate, ocean and biodiversity and highlights the importance of linking these topics in governance. It introduces the new legally-binding agreement for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) and how it relates to the existing climate and biodiversity COPs and why it is important to link climate, ocean and biodiversity politics.
The members of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) met from the 13th to the 17th of May 2024 in Bangkok, Thailand, for the 28th Session of the Commission. Bianca Haas, Constance Rambourg and Ina Tessnow-von Wysocki reflect on what their time at the meeting, and what happened there.
Coastal states have compared themselves to owners of orchards from which DWFNs have been allowed to pick the apples. This argument implies that at no point does the party coming to pick the apple own the land, the trees and the apples (or the ecosystem, the fishery and the fish stock). Until the apple is picked (or the fish is caught), the holder of the access right only owns the opportunity to pick the apple (extract the fish), and even then only on a temporary and time-limited basis…
Bianca Haas, Kamal Azmi, Hussain Sinan, and Quentin Hanich have developed an innovative approach that would support members of tuna regional fisheries management organisations (tRMFOs) to reduce placing a disproportionate burden on developing state members.