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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…

– Quentin Hanich recently collaborated with Prof. Joanne Wallis and Michael Rose to study Australian defence diplomacy in the Pacific. They found that Australia should continue to emphasise partnership and mutual benefit and use its defence diplomacy to emphasise multilateral security efforts that bolster regional institutions and meet Pacific priorities.

Leading Pacific tuna industry expert, Dr Transform Aqorau, has drawn from the region’s experiences with its massive tuna fisheries industry to sound caution in the development of the “next frontier” of deep seabed mining.

Professor Transform Aqorau is the Vice-Chancellor of the Solomon Islands National University and widely respected for his thoughtful and visionary leadership. Ocean Equity Research is delighted to re-post his occasional blogs on Pacific development. These blogs provide important insights into the Pacific development context and look beyond global geo-political narratives.