pacific BRIEFS stark warning over ILLEGAL fishing

VANUATU – Vanuatu’s fisheries minister is calling on Pacific countries to make more effort to end illegal fishing in the region.

David Tosul has told an eco-labelling workshop in Port Vila that the Pacific’s struggle with illegal, unreported fishing (IUU) is what has prompted more so called “yellow cards” from the European Union. He says Vanuatu got such a card in 2012 which had threatened its export access to the EU. The minister says Vanuatu has since improved its performance, but now other countries have been admonished by the EU – including Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu. Tosul says the Pacific must work extra hard to tidy up its systems so it can fully benefit from the opportunities presented by eco-labelling. “This will be the way forward, especially when we talk about marketing. The IUU issue will be one of the issues, if we cannot comply with this issue, countries like PNG, Fiji and other island countries will not be able to export their product to big markets.”

dealers blamed for kava ban push

australia – An Australian police detective superintendent says a small group of Pacific islanders who are profiteering from illegally selling Kava are to blame for the move to ban it. Tony Fuller, from the Northern Territory’s Drug and Organised Crime Division, says some Pacific islanders are inflating prices and exploiting vulnerable indigenous communities. A limit of two kilograms of kava can legally be brought into the country from the region. But a Northern Territory senator Nigel Scullion is pushing for a total ban which has sparked concern in local Pacific communities. Fuller says he understands the concern but agrees that kava is harming indigenous communities. He says some kava dealers don’t care about the cultural aspects and are only in it for the money. “A lot of the kava is brought into Australia and then sold in the Northern Territory to aboriginal communities at extremely inflated prices. So a kilo will sell for about a thousand dollars here,” he said.

VIRUS begins to wane in Marquesas

FRENCH POLYNESIA – The chikungunya epidemic in French Polynesia’s Marquesas Islands is now starting to wane after a period of overwhelming virulence during January. Tahiti Presse reports that up to one hundred patients a day had been queuing in emergency rooms and medical centres with several difficult weeks for medical staff and record crowds of patients. It is estimated 4500 people, or half of the population, was affected by the mosquito-borne viral illness which is characterised by fever, joint pain, and headaches. Health officials say a total of 14 people have died from chikungunya throughout French Polynesia since the outbreak began in October last year with the total number of cases estimated at over 130,000.

HIGH GRADE NICKEL FOUND IN SOLOMONS

SOLOMON ISLANDS – The Solomon Islands government says Axiom Mining Limited has discovered there is a lot more nickel at the Isabel Province site than previously thought. The company’s initial exploratory drilling has also found the nickel is of a high grade. The prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare, says it’s a significant finding and brings Solomon Islands closer to much-needed economic recovery, following the closure of the Gold Ridge Mine. Axiom is facing a legal bid by the Japanese mining giant Sumitomo over its ownership of the Isabel nickel deposit.

No Muslim make-over for clocktower

FIJI – Fiji’s Chief Justice Anthony Gates has sought to dismiss concerns that Suva’s clock tower has been subjected to a contemporary Muslim make-over. He says the landmark in the capital has just been cleaned up and its art deco features have become more noticeable. Gates says the government buildings and the clock tower with its rounded summit and coloured tiles are a fine example of the international art deco style which incorporates Middle Eastern motifs and even those from Oceania. He said he hoped to clear up a misconception about the clocktower, whose original 1930s design has not been altered to reflect an Islamic influence.