Palau’s President Tommy Remengesau Jr. signed a presidential directive on World Tuna Day to commit to more sustainable seafood consumption for their nation. According to SeaFoodSource, as part of the directive “all [Palau] government food service systems must serve pelagic fish such as tuna, with reef fish no longer allowed to be served at any government event or by any government-backed foodservice system.” The directive’s intended purpose is for Palau to commit to increasing the amount of locally-sourced foods they use, such as tuna, and reduce the unsustainable fishing pressure on reef fish (e.g., grouper, snapper and parrot fish). It is hoped this will increase the tuna supply in Palau’s domestic market and improve food security for the archipelago of approximately 700 islands.

A Nippon Foundation-UBC Nereus Program study was published in February 2018 by lead author Colette Wabnitz, emphasizing that tourists’ consumption of reef fish in Palau needed to drastically decline (up to 70%) in order to maintain sustainable levels. A link for the original research article’s abstract can be found here.

 

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