On 22 February 2017, the European Commission lifted the yellow card it handed down to Solomon Islands in late 2014, recognising the significant efforts that have been made towards fighting illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing by the government and industry.
This comes as a great relief for exporters of tuna to the European Union, and shows that Solomon Islands is committed to bringing into line our fisheries’ legal and administrative frameworks with international law, in order to tackle illegal fishing effectively.
As we all know, the fisheries industry is of significant importance to the Solomon Islands, providing employment and growth opportunities in the economy.
The EU, at over 500 million consumers, is a substantial source of demand for our products so maintaining our ability to export tuna to this market is essential.
For more information visit the EU website at https://ec.europa.eu/.