The Oceanic Fisheries Management Project (OFMP2) is designed to achieve systematic, sustained changes in fishing patterns and on-the-water behaviour at regional, sub-regional and national levels.

Achieving these changes will result in the conservation and sustainable use of the Western and Central Pacific Oceanic fisheries.

The project is being implemented for the benefit of the governments of Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS):

  • Cook Islands
  • Federated States of Micronesia
  • Fiji
  • Kiribati
  • Marshall Islands
  • Nauru
  • Niue
  • Palau
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Samoa
  • Solomon Islands
  • Tonga
  • Tuvalu
  • Vanuatu


The Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) is implementing the project, which is managed by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The OFMP2 builds on a previous GEF project that built the foundations, institutions and capacity for more sustainable Pacific fisheries management.

The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Convention (WCPF Convention) established the Commission and aims to reform, realign, restructure and strengthen SIDS’ national fisheries laws, policies, institutions and programs.

The objective of OFMP2 is:

To support Pacific SIDS in meeting their obligations to implement and effectively enforce global, regional and sub-regional arrangements for the conservation and management of transboundary oceanic fisheries thereby increasing sustainable benefits derived from these fisheries.

Regional, sub-regional and national actions for better fishing practices

The OFMP2:

  • supports Pacific SIDS as the major bloc at the WCPFC to adopt regional conservation and management measures
  • supports the innovative approaches being developed by Pacific SIDS at the sub-regional level as they collaborate in fisheries of common interest
  • assists SIDS to apply measures nationally in their own waters and to their fleet
  • improves stakeholder participation, including industry participation in managing oceanic fisheries, and improves general understanding and awareness of the challenges and opportunities faced by Pacific SIDS in managing oceanic fisheries.

Read a detailed description of the project, and its evolution, in this report.

Membership of regional organisations

The Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) controls the world’s largest sustainable tuna purse-seine fishery.

Members include: Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu.

The Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) works together on regional issues of common interest.

Members include: Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and the Kanak Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS).

Te Vaka Moana (TVM) is a group of Pacific Island Fisheries Administrations who develop, manage and protect South Pacific fisheries for the long-term benefit of their countries and people.

Members include: the Cook Islands, New Zealand, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau and Tonga.

There is a detailed description of these regional organisations and their history in the OFMP2 project baseline report, section 6.3.

Pacific Oceanic Fisheries

Check our latest reports