Palau, whose exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is one of the most restricted for commercial fishing in the South Pacific, is aiming to open a fish auction site and processing facility on the island of Babeldaob by 2020.
According to the country's National Marine Sanctuary Act, by 2021, 80 percent of Palau’s EEZ will become a fully protected marine reserve allowing no commercial fishing of any kind. The remaining 20 percent of Palau's national waters will be reserved for domestic commercial fishing.
The new facility will include a wharf and the auction will include a central market, according to the official newsletter of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement, of which Palau is a member.
The new auction site on the island country “will be an opportunity for local fishermen to showcase their catch and encourage both local consumers and tourists to buy pelagic fish from local fishers,” the newsletter said.
Photo courtesy of Bob and Lisa Miller
