Adapting Pacific Island Tuna Fisheries to Climate Change

Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu | Conservation International Foundation

22 June 2019

Please submit the completed form to fundingproposal@gcfund.org, using the following name convention in the subject line and file name: “CN-[Accredited Entity or Country]-YYYYMMDD”

Project/Programme Title: Adapting Pacific Island Tuna Fisheries to Climate Change

Countries:

Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati*, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands*, Tuvalu*, Vanuatu*

(* = least developed country)

National Designated

Authorities:

Cook Islands (Climate Change Cook Islands Division of the Office of the Prime Minister); Fiji (Ministry of Economy), Kiribati (Ministry of Finance and Economic Development); Nauru (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade); Papua New Guinea (Climate Change and Development Authority); Solomon Islands (Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology); Tuvalu (Government of Tuvalu); Vanuatu (Ministry of Climate Change, Change Adaptation, Meteorology, Geo-Hazards, Environment, Energy and Disaster Management)

Accredited Entity (AE): Conservation International

Date of first submission/ version number: [2019-06-07] [V.1]

Date of current submission/ version number [2019-06-07] [V.1]

PROJECT / PROGRAMME CONCEPT NOTE Template V.2.2

Notes

• The maximum number of pages should not exceed 12 pages, excluding annexes. Proposals exceeding the prescribed length will not be assessed within the indicative service standard time of 30 days.

• As per the Information Disclosure Policy, the concept note, and additional documents provided to the Secretariat can be disclosed unless marked by the Accredited Entity(ies) (or NDAs) as confidential.

• The relevant National Designated Authority(ies) will be informed by the Secretariat of the concept note upon receipt.

• NDA can also submit the concept note directly with or without an identified accredited entity at this stage. In this case, they can leave blank the section related to the accredited entity. The Secretariat will inform the accredited entity(ies) nominated by the NDA, if any.

• Accredited Entities and/or NDAs are encouraged to submit a Concept Note before making a request for project preparation support from the Project Preparation Facility (PPF).

• Further information on GCF concept note preparation can be found on GCF website Funding Projects Fine Print.

PROJECT / PROGRAMME CONCEPT NOTE Template V.2.2 GREEN CLIMATE FUND | PAGE 1 OF 12

A. Project/Programme Summary (max. 1 page) A.1. Project or programme ☒ Project

☐ Programme A.2. Public or private sector

☒ Public sector ☐ Private sector

A.3. Is the CN submitted in response to an RFP?

Yes ☐ No ☒ If yes, specify the RFP: ______________

A.4. Confidentiality1 ☐ Confidential ☒ Not confidential

A.5. Indicate the result areas for the project/programme

Mitigation: Reduced emissions from:

☐ Energy access and power generation

☐ Low emission transport

☐ Buildings, cities and industries and appliances

☐ Forestry and land use Adaptation: Increased resilience of:

☒ Most vulnerable people and communities

☒ Health and well-being, and food and water security

☐ Infrastructure and built environment

☒ Ecosystem and ecosystem services

A.6. Estimated mitigation impact (tCO2eq over lifespan)

N/A

A.7. Estimated adaptation impact (number of direct beneficiaries and % of population)

Deep impact on food security and economic security and development for 100% of the population (140,000 people) in three countries (Kiribati, Tuvalu and Nauru). Significant impact on access to tuna for food security and economic development for people in another 10 countries, including food security for >600,000 people in Papua New Guinea.

A.8. Indicative total project cost (GCF + co-finance)

Amount: USD148 million

A.9. Indicative GCF funding requested

Amount: USD116,500,000

A.10. Mark the type of financial instrument requested for the GCF funding

☒ Grant ☐ Reimbursable grant ☐ Guarantees ☐ Equity ☐ Subordinated loan ☐ Senior Loan ☐ Other: specify___________________

A.11. Estimated duration of project/ programme:

2021-2027 7 years for Component A (two phases of 3.5 years) 7 years for Component B

A.12. Estimated project/ Programme lifespan

Several of the activities established by the project (e.g. early warning system functions) are expected to be sustained for at least 10 years after the project, if not permanently.

A.13. Is funding from the Project Preparation Facility requested?2

Yes ☒ No ☐ Other support received ☐ If so, by who:

A.14. ESS category3 ☐ A or I-1 ☒ B or I-2 ☐ C or I-3

1 Concept notes (or sections of) not marked as confidential may be published in accordance with the Information Disclosure Policy (Decision B.12/35) and the Review of the Initial Proposal Approval Process (Decision B.17/18). 2 See here for access to project preparation support 3 Refer to the Fund’s environmental and social safeguards (Decision B.07/02)

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A.15. Is the CN aligned with your accreditation standard?

Yes ☒ No ☐ A.16. Has the CN been shared with the NDA? Yes ☒ No ☐

A.17. AMA signed (if submitted by AE)

Yes ☒ No ☐ If no, specify the status of AMA negotiations and expected date of signing:

A.18. Is the CN included in the Entity Work Programme?

Yes ☒ No ☐

A.19. Project/Programme rationale, objectives and approach of programme/project (max 100 words)

Brief summary of the problem statement and climate rationale, objective and selected implementation approach, including the executing entity(ies) and other implementing partners. Continued GHG emissions are degrading the coral reefs that Pacific Island communities rely on for food, and changing the distribution of the tuna resources underpinning economies in the region. This ‘early warning system’ project will: 1) prepare small-scale fisheries to catch more tuna as the abundance of coral reef fish declines; and 2) provide governments with the information needed to adapt industrial tuna fisheries to maintain the socio-economic benefits derived from tuna, thereby making tuna-dependent Pacific Island economies more resilient to climate change. The necessary adaptations will be co-ordinated and implemented by Conservation International (Accredited Entity) and regional agency partners.

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B. Project/Programme Information (max. 8 pages) B.1. Context and baseline (max. 2 pages) Describe the climate vulnerabilities and impacts, GHG emissions profile, and mitigation and adaptation needs that the prospective intervention is envisaged to address. Comprehensive assessments of the vulnerability of the Pacific Ocean and Pacific Island fisheries to climate change by IPCC4, the Pacific Community (SPC)5 and FAO6 demonstrate that the main marine resources supporting communities and economies in the region – coral reefs and tuna – are very likely to be affected by greenhouse gas emissions. Continued ocean warming and acidification are expected to reduce coral cover by 50–75%, and production of coral reef fish by 20–50%, by 2050. Preliminary modelling of the effects of ocean warming on Pacific skipjack and yellowfin tuna indicates that distribution of both species will shift to the east by 2050. This shift has potential to reduce tuna biomass by 25–40% for several countries in the west of the region and increase biomass by ~20% for two countries in the east. The implications for Pacific Island communities and economies are serious. In many of the island nations, a gap is emerging between the fish required for food security of growing populations and sustainable yields of coral reef fish (which have traditionally provided most of the dietary animal protein for communities). Degradation of coral reefs due to climate change and ocean acidification is enlarging this gap and is a serious threat. The SPC vulnerability assessment referred to above recommends that i) communities should adapt by transferring some of the fishing effort of small-scale fishers from coral reefs to tuna to meet the ever-increasing demand for fish; and ii) more tuna should be made available to improve nutrition of urban populations from the transhipping of industrial tuna catches that occurs in regional ports. Redistribution of tuna due to climate change also threatens to undermine the vital contributions that industrial tuna fisheries make to Pacific Island economies – six of the island nations, including three of the eight countries directly involved in this project (Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu), obtain >45% of their total government revenue from tuna fishing licence fees7. In addition, tuna canneries employ thousands of people in another three countries (Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Fiji). A preliminary economic assessment by the project partners indicates that redistribution of tuna could cause a 15% loss in licence revenue (>$60 million at today’s prices) per year across the region by 2050. The region requires an early warning system to understand with much greater certainty how the tuna resources that underpin food security, economic development and employment will be affected by climate change. The improved understanding of the expected effects of climate change on tuna will enable the region to apply adaptations to minimise the risks posed to the socio-economic benefits derived from tuna, and capitalise on opportunities, with confidence. Please indicate how the project fits in with the country’s national priorities and its full ownership of the concept. Is the project/programme directly contributing to the country’s INDC/NDC or national climate strategies or other plans such as NAMAs, NAPs or equivalent? If so, describe which priorities identified in these documents the project is aiming to address and/or improve. This project is both national and regional in scope, given the wide-ranging nature of tuna resources. It is designed to secure the vital contributions of tuna to food security of communities in eight countries, and to economic development across the entire Pacific Island region (Annex 1). The proposed adaptations will strengthen small-scale fisheries to supply more tuna for the nutrition of coastal communities as coral reefs degrade by scaling-up the use of nearshore fish aggregating devices (FADs); and ensure that any climate-induced disruption to the expected increased dependence of urban populations on tuna offloaded from industrial fishing vessels for food is minimised. The proposed investments will also inform adaptations to maintain the important contributions of industrial tuna fisheries to government revenue and employment as climate change causes redistribution of the region’s tuna resources. The project supports the two following goals of the Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific: An Integrated Approach to Address Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management (FRDP)8, which has been endorsed by all Pacific Island countries: i) ‘Strengthened adaptation and risk reduction to enhance resilience to climate change, including managing risks caused by climate change within social and economic development planning processes’; and ii) ‘Strengthened preparedness, response and recovery to natural disasters caused by climate change’.

The project will also build the resilience of the following sectoral, regionally endorsed strategies to climate change:

• Regional Roadmap for Sustainable Pacific Fisheries9, to improve the sustainability of tuna resources, add value to tuna catches, increase employment, and provide access to additional tuna for domestic food security;

4 https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/WGIIAR5-Chap30_FINAL.pdf 5 https://www.spc.int/cces/climate-book/spc-publications-on-climate-change 6 http://www.fao.org/3/i9705en/i9705en.pdf 7 https://www.ffa.int/tunadev_indicators 8 https://pacificclimatechange.net/document/frdp_2016 9 https://ffa.int/system/files/Roadmap_web_0.pdf

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• A New Song for Coastal Fisheries – Pathways for Change10, an innovative regional approach to dealing with declines in coastal fisheries resources and related ecosystems; and the

• Framework for Action for Food Security in the Pacific11, which includes activities to strengthen partnerships to plan food security in the face of climate change and population growth.

Six of the eight countries directly involved in the project have included ocean warming and/or other features of the ocean and coastal marine habitats in their National Determined Contributions (NDCs)12. Describe the main root causes and barriers (social, gender, fiscal, regulatory, technological, financial, ecological, institutional, etc.) that need to be addressed. There are two main barriers to implementing the adaptations needed to ensure that tuna makes the necessary contributions to food security for coastal and urban communities. • Insufficient capacity to increase access of coastal communities to tuna for food security. Although it is

widely recognised that nearshore FADs help build the resilience of coastal communities to climate change by increasing access to tuna as coral reefs degrade, countries lack capacity to implement national FAD programmes at scale13. Lack of resources prevents governments investing in the following key areas: installing comprehensive FAD infrastructure; training in safety-at-sea and effective FAD-fishing methods; improved designs for small boats to fish further offshore; forecasting when tuna are likely to be abundant in coastal waters; installing low-cost acoustic devices on FADs to transmit information on the number of tuna present to communities via 3G networks; and systems to quickly replace FADs lost during cyclones (to meet the ‘preparation’ goal of the FRDP).

• Weak/non-existent systems for industrial fishing to supply tuna for urban populations. Governments have

not yet identified the costs, benefits and risks involved in managing transhipments of tuna in ports to supply fish for nutrition of urban populations. Until the quantities of tuna and bycatch available from transhipping are quantified, it is not possible to explore how transhipping practices might need to be adapted to minimise disruption to fish supply as climate change alters the distribution of tuna.

Two main barriers are preventing development of an early warning system to inform Pacific Island governments about the adaptations needed to maintain the vital contributions of tuna to national economies. • Dependence of governments on fishing licence revenues. Many Pacific Island countries have a limited tax base

and prioritise allocation of fishing licence fees to meet their nation’s basic needs, particularly health and education. The overwhelming necessity to meet such needs makes it difficult to invest in adaptations required to reduce the risks to the economic benefits derived from tuna, and capitalise on opportunities, as the climate changes.

• Inadequate understanding of the effects of climate change on tuna. Even though preliminary modelling indicates that there are serious potential effects of climate change on distribution of tuna and, therefore, government revenue of many Pacific Island countries, there are key gaps in our understanding of the likely responses of tuna to climate change. The existing modelling assumes that each tuna species forms a single stock across the tropical/subtropical Pacific Ocean basin. Evidence is accumulating that this is not the case. The modelling required to guide adaptations to maintain the contributions of tuna to economies needs to be based on a sound understanding of the number, distribution, size and behaviour of stocks comprising each tuna species.

Where relevant, and particularly for private sector project/programme, please describe the key characteristics and dynamics of the sector or market in which the project/programme will operate. Across the Pacific Island region, fish provides 50–90% of dietary animal protein for coastal communities, and small-scale subsistence fishing supplies 50–90% of this fish. An additional 80,000 tonnes of tuna will be needed for good nutrition of Pacific Island people by 203514. There is a need to ensure that this additional protein is safe for human consumption, given emerging issues of pollutants being concentrated in the bodies of large predatory fish like tuna. Industrial tuna fisheries operating within the EEZs of Pacific Island countries provide $465 million per year in government revenue to all countries in the region combined, and employ 25,000 Pacific Island people11. Vertically-integrated fishing companies striving to achieve continuity of supply for their processing and marketing operations are expected to i) value improved modelling of the responses of tuna to climate change; and ii) collaborate in the collection of data to improve the models to predict the responses of each tuna stock to climate change described below.

10 https://www.spc.int/DigitalLibrary/Doc/FAME/Reports/Anon_2015_New_song_for_coastal_fisheries.html 11 Draft available from SPC Public Health Division www.spc.int 12 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320721251_Ocean_commitments_under_the_Paris_Agreement 13 https://spc.int/DigitalLibrary/Doc/FAME/Brochures/Anon_17_PolicyBrief31_FAD_Programmes.html 14https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272392355_Diversifying_the_use_of_tuna_to_improve_food_security_and_public_health_in_Pacific_Island_countries_and_territories

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B.2. Project/Programme description (max. 3 pages) Describe the expected set of components/outputs and subcomponents/activities to address the above barriers identified that will lead to the expected outcomes. To overcome the barriers to building resilience of tuna-dependent communities and economies to climate change, this project will implement activities within the two inter-related components summarised below. Together, these two components of the project will i) enable the priority adaptations to maintain the important contribution of fish to food security (identified in the regional vulnerability assessments referred to in Section B1) to be implemented at scale; and ii) establish an early warning system (EWS) to guide adaptations where more information is needed before investments to safeguard the significant socio-economic benefits derived from tuna can be made with confidence. Activities in Components A and B that will contribute to the EWS have been marked with an asterisk. In the full proposal, these activities will be described in full to explain how they address the forecasting, risk assessment, coordination, communication and response criteria that comprise an EWS. Component A. Adaptations to harness tuna for food security as the climate continues to change 1. Strengthen and sustain management of national nearshore FAD programmes to enable sustainable transfer of

fishing effort from coral reefs degraded by climate change to tuna (hereafter considered to also include ‘tuna-like’ species) by making FADs part of the national infrastructure for food security (SPC).

2. Support cyclone-prone countries to store spare FAD materials (and protect boats as a cyclone approaches) so that communities are well prepared to replace lost FADs and resume fishing for tuna quickly following a cyclone, when land-based food resources have often been devastated (CI).*

3. Scale-up training in safe and effective FAD-fishing methods for coastal communities, and provide communities with

boating safety equipment, so that fishers making the transition to fishing further offshore can do so with confidence and safety (SPC).

4. Train coastal communities in simple post-harvest methods (e.g., drying and smoking) to increase the storage life of

tuna caught around FADs in remote locations without refrigeration, and provide similar training to enterprises distributing tuna offloaded during transhipping operations in regional ports (see Activity A9 below) (SPC).

5. Develop reliable systems for forecasting environmental conditions (e.g., sea surface temperatures, nutrient levels,

currents) that bring tuna closer to the coast and increase catch rates for small-scale fishers, to be made available to communities via 3G networks (SPC & CI).*

6. Assess the need for new vessel designs to enable small-scale fishers to catch tuna further from shore efficiently and

safely, and to increase the value of the catch, limit waste and reduce GHG emissions from vessel engines (FAO).

7. Strengthen capacity of small-scale fishers, and national and regional organizations, to manage disaster risks and enhance the resilience of coastal fishing communities (FAO).*

8. Measure the levels of methyl mercury and other contaminants (e.g., lead, cadmium, tin, benzo(a)pyrene, and dioxin/PCBs) in tuna caught from the EEZs of Pacific Island countries, so that any effects on levels of these contaminants in tuna due to climate-driven redistribution of fish can be determined, and guidelines can be provided for communities specifying safe levels of tuna consumption (SPC).

9. Explore adaptations to minimise disruption to fish supply from transhipping operations for food security of urban populations due to redistribution of tuna, and improve infrastructure for selling/storing tuna where appropriate (FFA and SPC).*

Component B. Adaptations to maintain the contributions of industrial tuna fisheries to economic development 1. Develop all the necessary features of an early warning system to assess the effects of climate change and ocean

acidification on all stocks within the distribution of each tuna species (rather than assuming a single stock for each species), to inform potential adaptations for tuna-dependent economies (and the activities listed under Component A). * This major activity involves the EWS investments needed to:

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i) Collect and store biological samples to identify the number, distribution, size and behaviour of all tuna stocks

(SPC); ii) Analyse samples to produce ‘resource maps’ showing the location/size of stocks for each tuna species (SPC); iii) Conduct tuna tagging programmes to verify the distribution, size and behaviour of tuna stocks (SPC); iv) Model the effects of climate change on each tuna stock to identify important climate-driven changes in tuna

resource maps, i.e., the proportion of fish available for capture within the EEZs of Pacific Island countries and in high-seas areas (SPC); and

v) Enlist fishing vessels to collect data on sea surface temperature and current speed to validate global climate

models (FFA, SPC, SPREP), and acoustic data to assess responses of tuna prey (midwater fish, squid and shrimps) to climate change to improve the tuna-climate models (SPC).

2. Add value to tuna catches and reduce waste to increase tuna-fishing licence fees and thereby build the resilience of

economies to climate-driven redistribution of tuna. This investment will enable countries where tuna catches decrease to reduce the impact on their economies, and assist tuna-dependent countries in the east to harness the full potential benefits for government revenue and GDP of any increases in tuna abundance in their EEZs (FFA & CI).

3. Assess the cost:benefit of building transhipping facilities in Kiribati, Cook Islands and Nauru to create jobs if the

modelling in 1 iv) above confirms that tuna are likely to continue to be abundant enough in their EEZs to warrant such investment; and assist Tuvalu and other countries where transhipping activity is increasing due to climate-driven redistribution of tuna to prepare for the increased risks of damage to coral reefs from oil spills by industrial fishing vessels and fish-cargo vessels (FFA).

4. Explore avenues to assist Pacific Island countries to retain the right to manage catches of any tuna stock where

modelling predicts a redistribution of biomass from their EEZs to high-seas areas, for example, through the WCPFC high-seas allocation processes, rights-based management, and the PNA vessel day scheme (FFA, SPC & CI).

Extensive national capacity building will be incorporated into all activities in Components A and B. A key aim of this capacity building will be to strengthen the institutional and governance arrangements of national fisheries agencies related to adapting small-scale and industrial tuna fisheries to climate change to sustain the activities beyond the life of the project. In terms of rationale, please describe the theory of change and provide information on how it serves to shift the development pathway toward a more low-emissions and/or climate resilient direction, in line with the Fund’s goals and objectives. The theory of change for this project is based on the goals of the FRDP listed in Section B1 related to strengthening adaptation and risk reduction within social and economic development planning processes; and strengthening preparedness, response and recovery to natural disasters caused by climate change’. Annex 2 summarises the theory of change needed to: • provide rapidly-growing coastal and urban communities with access to sufficient tuna for good nutrition as coral

reefs are degraded by climate change and tuna are redistributed to the east, and

• identify and minimise the risks to industrial tuna fisheries and tuna-dependent economies (and maximise opportunities) arising from climate-driven redistribution of tuna.

These diagrams show how the proposed inputs (activities), outputs and outcomes needed to achieve each goal (impact) will alter tuna management and development plans to build the resilience of Pacific Island communities and economies to the expected effects of continued GHG emissions on coral reefs and tuna stocks. Describe how activities in the proposal are consistent with national regulatory and legal framework, if applicable. The activities to assist small-scale fisheries adapt to climate change, and to support adaptations to provide growing urban populations with sufficient tuna for good nutrition, will enable target countries to achieve the food security goal of the Regional Roadmap for Sustainable Pacific Fisheries. The activities designed to establish an EWS to guide industrial tuna fisheries and national economies to adapt to climate-driven redistribution of tuna will assist all countries to achieve the tuna-related sustainability, value and

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employment goals of the Regional Roadmap for Sustainable Pacific Fisheries. These activities will also help six of the eight target countries, and several other Pacific Island nations, achieve the objectives of their NDCs related to adapting to the effects of ocean warming and ocean acidification. Describe in what way the Accredited Entity(ies) is well placed to undertake the planned activities and what will be the implementation arrangements with the executing entity(ies) and implementing partners. Conservation International has worked extensively in the Pacific Island region at both the national and regional level for more than two decades. CI has implemented a ‘Tuna Initiative’15 and established strong relationships with the other Executing Entity (SPC) and implementing partners (FFA, FAO, SPREP). (For example, CI has led joint publications with SPC, FFA and FAO on the effects of climate change on coral reef fisheries and tuna, and the role that tuna plays in food security). CI and SPC have successfully trialled approaches to strengthen national FAD programmes in Vanuatu and Fiji to maintain the supply of fish for food security of coastal communities (with support from ADB/GEF). CI has also supported Pacific Island countries to implement a Pacific Oceanscape programme, which includes substantial efforts to conserve and manage coral reefs and the ocean domain in six of the eight target countries16. In addition, CI has supported SPC to do preliminary modelling on the effects of climate change on tuna, and to plan how best to identify the number of stocks comprising each tuna species. This support sets the stage for the EWS activities in Component B needed to model the response of each tuna stock to climate change with confidence. Please provide a brief overview of the key financial and operational risks and any mitigation measures identified at this stage. Operating large projects in Pacific Island countries can be challenging due to the limited numbers and technical capacity of staff in the relevant government departments in some countries. Also, there are often logistical challenges associated with the remote locations of coastal communities on many Pacific Islands. A potential risk is that some of the eight countries may take time to implement the recommended adaptations to maintain the contributions of small-scale fisheries to food security. However, SPC and FFA were established to help supplement and address limits to the staff capacity of national agencies. FAO and SPREP are also assisting countries to implement adaptations. The widely acknowledged experience of the Accredited Entity, Executing Entities and Implementing Partners in the region are expected to minimise operational risks. Nevertheless, arrangements will be made for countries to work closely with representatives from SPC, FFA, FAO and SPREP to identify and overcome risks to the implementation of all activities, thereby helping to sustain the adaptations at the conclusion of the project. The project will involve substantial grants to SPC as an Executing Entity from the CI GCF Agency, and from Conservation International to the Implementing Partners (Annex 3). CI has a long history of providing grants to partner organizations and has well-established procedures for managing and monitoring such grants to reduce any associated financial risks. Overall, financial risks associated with the project are expected to be low. A thorough assessment of all operational and financial risks will be carried out during the design of the full project in close consultation with all project partners and the participating countries. B.3. Expected project results aligned with the GCF investment criteria (max. 3 pages) The GCF is directed to make a significant and ambitious contribution to the global efforts towards attaining the goals set by the international community to combat climate change, and promoting the paradigm shift towards low-emission and climate-resilient development pathways by limiting or reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the impacts of climate change. Provide an estimate of the expected impacts aligned with the GCF investment criteria: impact potential, paradigm shift, sustainable development, needs of recipients, country ownership, and efficiency and effectiveness. Impact Potential: Adaptations proposed under Component A will have a deep impact on the supply of nutritious fish needed for the food security of the entire population in two of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) (Kiribati and Tuvalu), and for Nauru (a combined total of 140,000 people). Significant impact on access to tuna for food security of rapidly growing populations is also expected across the other five target countries involved in Component A. For example, more than 3 million people live in the urban and coastal areas of Papua New Guinea and the proposed activities would be expected to benefit at least 20% of this present-day population, i.e. 600,000 people. The range of investments needed to implement Activity 1 in Component B will provide the comprehensive early warning system required to identify the best adaptations for offsetting the potential losses of >$60 million in government revenue per year for all Pacific Island countries combined due to climate-driven redistribution of tuna.

15 https://www.conservation.org/projects/Pages/Sustaining-Pacific-Island-fisheries.aspx 16 https://www.conservation.org/where/Pages/pacific-oceanscape.aspx

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Paradigm shift: The project will add a new dimension to small-scale fisheries by making it possible for communities to fish for tuna in more efficient and safe ways at scale to meet their demands for nutritious food as coral reefs are degraded by climate change, and as human populations continue to grow. For Pacific Island countries where decreases in abundance of tuna are projected (e.g., Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands), the tuna EWS will enable governments to evaluate i) the need to increase access to tuna for food security of coastal communities, e.g., by expanding industrial fishing exclusion zones, and ii) systems to supply the tuna needed for nutrition of urban populations. The new paradigm for coastal fisheries will require education campaigns for communities and schools to explain the need to reduce consumption of reef fish and increase consumption of tuna. The new paradigm for management of industrial tuna fisheries, based on identifying the distribution of each stock and modelling its response to climate change, has the potential to revolutionise climate-smart, co-operative management of tuna resources across the region if the stock structure analysis identifies new configurations of stakeholders in specific tuna stocks. At a minimum, the EWS will enable governments, regional fisheries agencies, and industry to apply adaptations that minimise risks to the economic benefits derived from each stock and capitalise on opportunities. Sustainable development: By transferring some fishing effort from coral reefs to tuna, Component A of the project will help ensure that the degradation of coral reefs due to GHG emissions17 is not exacerbated by some existing stressors. This should assist coral reefs to harness more of their autonomous capacity to adapt to increasing sea surface temperatures and ocean acidification. This outcome will support the New Song for Coastal Fisheries and the food security goals of the Regional Roadmap for Sustainable Pacific Fisheries. During development of the full proposal, consideration will be given to including the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) as an additional Implementing Partner. The performance-based climate resilience grants (PBCRGs) administered by UNCDF would help local government agencies to sustain several of the activities in Component A following completion of the project. Development of resource maps for each tuna species, and assessment of how food webs supporting tuna respond to climate change, during Component B of the project will provide a more robust pathway for meeting the sustainability goal of the Regional Roadmap for Sustainable Pacific Fisheries. The region will have a new blueprint for i) maintaining the tuna harvests that underpin national economies; and ii) adapting these harvests so that they remain sustainable as ocean warming continues. Given that 30% of the world’s tuna comes from the EEZs of Pacific Island countries, and tuna dominate the biomass of larger fish species in the ecosystem, this project will also make an important contribution to Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development). Needs of recipients: The project is expected to have a profound effect on the food security and economic development of Pacific Island people. Adaptations for small-scale fisheries, and to transhipping operations in regional ports, are expected to help supply the additional 80,000 tonnes of tuna that will be needed for food security across the region by 2035. Expanding the use of nearshore FADs, which allow small-scale fishers to operate closer to shore, and the advent of new vessel designs for transporting their catches relatively long distances to urban/regional markets, will improve safety-at-sea, add value to the catch, and reduce operating costs and emissions. Disaster risk reduction (DRR) strategies for small-scale fishers and training in DRR will meet the needs of coastal communities for safe tuna-fishing methods. Exploration of arrangements to enable Pacific Island countries to manage tuna stocks that progressively migrate from their EEZs to high-seas areas due to climate change, and ways to add value to tuna will i) help maintain the contributions of fishing licence fees to government revenue, and ii) deliver the employment goal of the Regional Roadmap for Sustainable Pacific Fisheries (which aims to create an additional 18,000 jobs based on tuna by 2024). Country ownership: A pre-concept for this project was presented at the 10th SPC ‘Heads of Fisheries’ meeting in 2017. Letters of support for the pre-concept were received from six countries (Cook Islands, Fiji, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu). The draft Concept Note was presented at the 11th Heads of Fisheries meeting, and to NDAs at their meeting in Samoa, in March 2019. The eight countries participating in Component A of the project were then asked to provide feedback on the draft Concept Note. The Heads of Fisheries and/or NDAs from all these countries responded to this request and provided letters of support for the project (see Annex 4). Efficiency and effectiveness: Building the resilience of small-scale fisheries is expected to be the most efficient and effective way to ensure that the eight target countries maintain the supply of animal protein for food security (many of these countries do not have enough land to develop systems for producing other nutritious food). The project will also assist many Pacific Island countries to maintain the present-day levels of government revenue derived from tuna, and potentially enable Kiribati and Cook Islands to generate new jobs from increased industrial fishing operations in their EEZs. The information above provides a general indication of the GCF Performance Measurement Framework impact indicators relevant to the project. Detailed performance impact indicators will be presented during the project preparation phase.

17 https://www.nature.com/articles/srep39666

PROJECT / PROGRAMME CONCEPT NOTE Template V.2.2 GREEN CLIMATE FUND | PAGE 9 OF 12

B.4. Engagement among the NDA, AE, and/or other relevant stakeholders in the country (max ½ page) Please describe how engagement among the NDA, AE and/or other relevant stakeholders in the country has taken place and what further engagement will be undertaken as the concept is developed into a funding proposal. As described in Section B3, there has been extensive engagement with national fisheries agencies and NDAs by Conservation International, SPC and the other project partners to develop the Concept Note. In addition to the presentations made at the SPC Heads of Fisheries meetings and ensuing discussions, there have been extensive face-to-face meetings or phone calls with several NDAs and Heads of Fisheries to discuss the details of the various activities to be implemented. There is agreement among all parties that development of the full proposal will be based on comprehensive consultations with the NDA and national fisheries agency in each of the eight target countries. To plan activities listed in Component A, in-country consultations will be held between the Accredited Entity, Executing Entities, Implementing Partners and relevant national stakeholders. Note, however, that all activities in Component A will not be implemented in all eight countries – cyclone-proofing of FAD infrastructure, new vessel designs and development of policies for transhipping arrangements, will be done in appropriate sub-sets of countries. The EWS activities (Component B) will be planned by SPC, FFA, SPREP and the Accredited Entity, in consultation with a broader number of Pacific Island countries and the private sector (industrial tuna fishing companies). Preliminary discussions have also been held with the International Sustainable Seafood Foundation (ISSF) to identify how best to engage the private sector in collecting i) data on sea surface temperature and ocean currents to help improve global climate models; and ii) acoustic data on the food web supporting tuna to improve the models used to assess to the response of tuna stocks to climate change.

C. Indicative Financing/Cost Information (max. 3 pages) C.1. Financing by components (max ½ page) Please provide an estimate of the total cost per component/output and disaggregate by source of financing.

Component/Output Indicative cost

(USD)

GCF financing Co-financing Amount

(USD)

Financial Instrument

Amount

(USD)

Financial Instrument

Name of Institutions

Component A. Adaptations to harness tuna for food security as the climate continues to change A1

19,350,000

16,100,000 Grant

3,250,000 Grant/in kind

SPC & CI donors,

FAO/Japan A2

4,100,000

3,700,000 Grant 400,000

Grant/in kind CI donors

A3 4,050,000

4,000,000 Grant

50,000 Grant SPC donors

A4 5,350,000

4,000,000 Grant

1,350,000 Grant SPC donors

A5. 4,900,000

4,600,000 Grant

300,000 Grant/in kind SPC donors

A6 3,300,000

3,300,000

Grant 0

A7 6,200,000

5,700,000 Grant

500,000 Grant FAO/Japan

A8 3,500,000

3,500,000 Grant

0

A9 4,800,000

4,800,000 Grant

0

PROJECT / PROGRAMME CONCEPT NOTE Template V.2.2 GREEN CLIMATE FUND | PAGE 10 OF 12

Component B. Adaptations to maintain contributions of industrial tuna fisheries to economic development B1 i)

11,800,000

7,400,000 Grant 4,400,000

Grant SPC donors

B1 ii) 7,800,000

6,600,000 Grant

1,200,000 Grant/in kind SPC & CI

donors B1 iii)

27,850,000

19,000,000 Grant 8,850,000

Grant SPC donors

B1 iv) 6,850,000

6,600,000

Grant 250,000

Grant SPC donors

B1 v) 11,900,000

5,900,000 Grant

6,000,000 Grant SPREP

donors B2

2,500,000

2,000,000 Grant 500,000

Grant/in kind CI donors

B3 800,000

800,000

Grant 0

B4 4,300,000

2,100,000 Grant

2,200,000 Grant SPC donors,

FFA donors Capacity building total for Components A and B 13,150,000

10,900,000

2,250,000

Grant SPC donors

Sub Total 142,500,000 111,000,000 31,500,000 Project Management Unit (PMU) @ ~5% 5,500,000 5,500,000 Indicative total cost (USD) 148,000,000 116,500,000 31,500,000

C.2. Justification of GCF funding request (max. 1 page) Explain why the Project/ Programme requires GCF funding, i.e. explaining why this is not financed by the public and/ or private sector(s) of the country. Pacific Island countries collectively contribute <0.003% of global GHG emissions each year and are recognised as being at the forefront of the impacts of climate change, including impacts on coral reefs and associated fisheries, and the distribution of tuna. GCF funding is essential to enable communities and governments to adapt to these changing circumstances. As regional fisheries organisations serving Pacific Island countries, SPC and FFA receive financial contributions from their member countries/territories to assist them to manage their shared tuna resources. SPC also receives financial support from the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) as the ‘science services provider and data manager’ for the Commission. However, these funding streams only enable SPC and FFA to monitor tuna catches, conduct regular stock assessments, and provide scientific and management advice. Both organisations depend on grant funding to engage in advising Pacific Island countries about how best to adapt to climate change, and to assist countries to implement priority adaptations. None of SPC’s and FFA’s normal development partners are in a position to make the scale of investments needed to assist Pacific Island states, including the four LDCs, adapt at scale to maintain the significant food security and economic benefits they receive from their most valuable commodity – tuna – as the climate changes. Describe alternative funding options for the same activities being proposed in the Concept Note, including an analysis of the barriers for the potential beneficiaries to access to finance and the constraints of public and private sources of funding. GEF International Waters could be interested in some aspects of this project, and other donors may want to invest in specific activities, e.g., the need to identify the levels of methyl mercury and other contaminants in tuna caught in each EEZ. However, many of the investments needed to develop the EWS for tuna to ensure that the Regional Roadmap for Sustainable Pacific Fisheries and New Song for Coastal Fisheries are not disrupted by climate change need to be made sequentially. It is extremely unlikely that the necessary funding could be raised from an ensemble of donors in the

PROJECT / PROGRAMME CONCEPT NOTE Template V.2.2 GREEN CLIMATE FUND | PAGE 11 OF 12

co-ordinated way needed to do the work efficiently. A unified approach, supported by a single funding vehicle and managed by an Accredited Entity is required, not a piecemeal approach. It should also be noted that the ‘Pacific EU Marine Partnership Project’ is funding several of the activities needed to develop and sustain fisheries in the region. However, little of this funding is directed towards assisting fisheries in the region to adapt to climate change. Justify the rationale and level of concessionality of the GCF financial instrument(s) as well as how this will be passed on to the end-users and beneficiaries. Justify why this is the minimum required to make the investment viable and most efficient considering the incremental cost or risk premium of the Project/ Programme (refer to Decisions B.12/17; B.10/03; and B.09/04 for more details). The justification for grants and reimbursable grants is mandatory. Grant financing is justified for this project because of the extreme vulnerability to climate change of these Pacific Island states, including the LDCs. The food security of coastal and urban communities, and the viability of national economies,depend on development of an EWS for tuna and responsive management of industrial tuna fishing. The full project budget will be developed in a way that builds on other initiatives to support the sustainable management of the region’s small-scale and industrial fisheries, and will target the incremental costs of adapting management of small-scale and industrial tuna fisheries to climate change. Grant finance allows the communities that will benefit through increased foodsecurity to gain resilience without incurring more national debt. Concerted investment in developing an EWS for tuna to reduce the risks posed by climate change to industrial tuna fisheries, and capitalise on opportunities, is justified for the reasons explained above. C.3. Sustainability and replicability of the project (exit strategy) (max. 1 page) Please explain how the project/programme sustainability will be ensured in the long run and how this will be monitored, after the project/programme is implemented with support from the GCF and other sources. The gap between the fish needed for good nutrition of Pacific Island populations and the fish that can be harvested sustainably from degraded coral reefs will continue to grow into the future due to rapid population growth and the continued degradation of coral reefs. It is essential that national FAD programmes continue to expand to meet the future need for fish, particularly because high levels of fish consumption are considered to be important in combating the increased incidence of non-communicable diseases in the region. The project partners will work with the eight target countries to identify an appropriate cost-sustainability model to meet the ongoing costs involved in maintaining national FAD programmes to transfer fishing effort from coral reefs to tuna resources. Ongoing financing is needed to maintain/expand national FAD programmes because FADs have a limited working life (maximum ~5 years) and need to be replaced regularly. For five of the eight countries, a possible way of meeting these recurring costs would be to use a proportion of tuna licence revenue to meet the ongoing costs of their national FAD programme. The investments made during the project to ensure that sufficient tuna are offloaded during transhipping operations for the food security of urban populations are expected to be sustainable – once practical adaptations have been identified, and small and medium enterprises have been established to distribute the fish to urban and peri-urban areas, this important activity should be perpetuated by the private sector. The success of all activities in increasing access to tuna for domestic consumption will be evaluated and monitored using data from national ‘household, income and expenditure surveys’ (HIES), which are conducted regularly by all Pacific Island countries. SPC has already worked with countries to modify HIES to include questions on tuna consumption. The shifts in recommended management actions for the industrial tuna fisheries expected to result from development of an EWS for tuna (Component B) will be integrated into the three levels of tuna management within the region, viz. i) the arrangements by FFA to assist member countries to manage tuna fishing operations by foreign and domestic fleets within their EEZs; ii) arrangements by the Office of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) to allocate purse-seine and longline fishing effort across the EEZs of its eight member countries; and iii) the broader approach used by WCPFC to co-ordinate tuna catches within the EEZs of Pacific Island countries with those made in high-seas areas. The effectiveness of the paradigm shift will be monitored through the regular assessments of tuna stocks done by SPC for WCPFC, the annual assessments of tuna catch and prices paid for tuna in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean conducted by SPC and FFA18, and through national accounts that record revenue received from tuna fishing licence fees. For non-grant instruments, explain how the capital invested will be repaid and over what duration of time.

18 https://www.wcpfc.int/node/30997

PROJECT / PROGRAMME CONCEPT NOTE Template V.2.2 GREEN CLIMATE FUND | PAGE 12 OF 12

D. Supporting documents submitted (OPTIONAL) ☒ Map indicating the location of the project/programme (see Annex 1) ☒ Diagram of the theory of change (see Annex 2) ☐ Economic and financial model with key assumptions and potential stressed scenarios ☐ Pre-feasibility study ☐ Evaluation report of previous project ☐ Results of environmental and social risk screening

Self-awareness check boxes

Are you aware that the full Funding Proposal and Annexes will require these documents? Yes ☒ No ☐ • Feasibility Study • Environmental and social impact assessment or environmental and social management framework • Stakeholder consultations at national and project level implementation including with indigenous

people if relevant • Gender assessment and action plan • Operations and maintenance plan if relevant • Loan or grant operation manual as appropriate • Co-financing commitment letters Are you aware that a funding proposal from an accredited entity without a signed AMA will be reviewed but not sent to the Board for consideration? Yes ☒ No ☐

Annex 1. Map showing the exclusive economic zones of Pacific Island countries and territories.

180o

Annex 2. Theory of change for each component of the project.

1

Annex 3. Proposed governance arrangements for the regional project ‘Adapting Pacific Island tuna fisheries to climate change’

(See also notes on page 2)

2

Notes

1. The Conservation International GCF Agency, based in CI’s USA headquarters, will serve as the Accredited Entity and will disperse all funding to the Executing Entities (SPC and the Conservation International NZ and Pacific Islands Program) and supervise the use of these funds in accordance with GCF requirements. The Implementing Partners (FFA, FAO and SPREP) will be sub-grantees to CI NZ and Pacific Islands.

2. The Technical Advisory Group (TAG) is intended to enable the eight Pacific Island countries involved in the project to have a direct role in the governance of all activities implemented by the two Executing Entities (SPC and CI) and, in turn, the Implementing Partners. The Executing Entities and Implementing partners will also have representatives on the TAG. The composition of the TAG will ensure that the project is country-driven, and that it continues to meet the needs of Pacific Island countries throughout its implementation.

3. The Project Management Unit (PMU) will be administered by Conservation

International NZ and Pacific Islands as an Executing Entity. However, because most of the activities in Components A and B of the project will be implemented by SPC as the main Executing Entity, the PMU will be located at the SPC headquarters in New Caledonia. This arrangement will ensure that the PMU maintains close contact with the majority of staff implementing project activities.

4. Executing Entities and Implementing Partners will spend some project funds directly in Pacific Island countries with oversight by the Technical Advisory Group (indicated as ‘In-country expenditure’).

Annex 4. Letters of support for the Concept Note from the eight countries involved in Component A of the project , in alphabetical order.

GOVERNMENT OF KIRIBATI

MINISTRY OF FISHERIES AND MARINE RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT P.O.Box 64, Bairiki, Tarawa, Republic of Kiribati

Tel: (686) 75021099 Fax: (686) 75021120 Email: info@mfmrd.gov.ki

______________________________________________________________________________ File ref: Date: 30th May 2019

Dr Johann Bell Senior Director – Pacific Tuna Fisheries Conservation International New Zealand and Pacific Islands Subject: GCF Tuna Concept Note - Kiribati I am writing to thank Conservation International for presenting the proposed project on Adapting Pacific Island Tuna Fisheries to Climate Change at the 11th SPC Heads of Fisheries Meeting, and for sending the draft Concept Note for evaluation by the Kiribati Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resource Development. Please take this letter as an indication of Kiribati Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources Development’s interest to be part of this project. In recent years, an average of around half a million tonnes of tuna has been caught in our exclusive economic zone each year - the largest average national catch of tuna in the world. Importantly, the licence fees received from tuna fishing in our waters provide between 50 and 80% of all government revenue each year, depending on the influence of El Niño events on the distribution of tuna. Noting our dependent on the fisheries around us for Government revenue and for social and food security, and realizing the likely impact of climate change on the fishery that we depend on. We have a very strong interest in understanding how climate change is likely to affect Pacific Island tuna resources and, in turn, the essential socio-economic benefits Kiribati receives from these valuable fish. Development of the early warning system described in the Concept Note is essential in this regard. The Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resource Development will need the very best information about the likely location of future tuna catches to minimise any risks to our government revenue, or to maximise any opportunities. In the event that tuna become more abundant in our waters, one possible opportunity would be to create employment by building more transhipping facilities for purse-seine fleets. Improved modelling of the response of tuna to climate change is essential before we can assess the potential benefits of such investments with confidence.

GOVERNMENT OF KIRIBATI

MINISTRY OF FISHERIES AND MARINE RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT P.O.Box 64, Bairiki, Tarawa, Republic of Kiribati

Tel: (686) 75021099 Fax: (686) 75021120 Email: info@mfmrd.gov.ki

______________________________________________________________________________ File ref: Date: 30th May 2019

We are pleased to see that Conservation International has assembled all the appropriate organisations to deliver the activities described in the Concept Note. SPC, FFA, FAO and SPREP who have a long history of assisting Pacific Island countries with sustainable management of marine resources, and have the technical capacity to implement the activities listed in Components A and B of the project. While we are still in the development stage of the details of the project, I request that my Ministry is involved in this process so the project also works inline with our national strategic plan and policy. On that I would be most grateful if you could please keep me informed about the evaluation of the Concept Note by the Green Climate Fund so that the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resource Development can assist with the preparation of the full proposal when the time comes. Yours sincerely

Agnes Yeeting Secretary Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources Development. cc: Secretary MFED, Bairiki, Tarawa

S o l o m o n I s l a n d s G o v e r n m e n t

M I N I S T R Y O F F I S H E R I E S A N D M A R I N E R E S O U R C E S

T e l : ( 6 7 7 ) 3 9 1 4 3 K u k u m H i g h w a y F a x : ( 6 7 7 ) 3 8 7 3 0 P . O . B o x G 2 , H o n i a r a D i r e c t l i n e : ( 6 7 7 ) 2 8 6 0 4 S o l o m o n I s l a n d s E m a i l : c r a m o f a f i a @ f i s h e r i e s . g o v . s b

MFMR REF: F/15/10 May 29 2019

Dr Johann Bell Senior Director – Pacific Tuna Fisheries Conservation International

Dear Dr Bell Thank you for sending the draft Concept Note for the Green Climate Fund proposal entitled ‘Adapting Pacific Island tuna fisheries to climate change’ for comment and endorsement by Solomon Islands’ Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR). MFMR recognised the importance of this project, both to Solomon Islands and the region, when the ‘pre-concept’ was presented at the 10th SPC Heads of Fisheries meeting in 2017, and provided a letter of support for further development of the pre-concept after that meeting. MFMR appreciates the careful thought that has gone into development of the official Concept Note since that time, and the presentation of the full range of project activities at the 11th SPC Heads of Fisheries meeting earlier this year for our consideration prior to finalisation of the Concept Note. The focus of the project on adapting both small-scale tuna fisheries and tuna transhipping operations for food security, and on the investments needed for adaptation of the industrial tuna fishery that underpins important contributions to employment and government revenue, has our full support.

MFMR values the activities described in Component A of the Concept Note because strengthening our national FAD programme will assist us to provide fish for our rapidly growing rural communities as coral reefs are degraded by the climate crisis. In addition, the population of Honiara arguably, has the greatest dependence on tuna from transhipping operations of all the urban centres in the region. The plans to adapt transhipping operations and provide market infrastructure to maximise the quality and benefits of offloaded tuna, are vitally important to the nutrition of our urban community.

MFMR also supports the proposed early warning system activities in Component B. Improved modelling of the effects of ocean warming on tuna distribution, based on identifying the stock structures of all tuna species, is needed to guide the substantial investments, needed to retain the extraordinary benefits that Solomon Islands, and so many of our neighbouring countries, receive from the industrial tuna fishery. Pacific Island countries are particularly concerned about the redistribution of tuna from our exclusive economic zones into international waters. This project will provide the essential information we will need to understand the extent of this risk, and negotiate to retain the economic benefits we presently receive from tuna, regardless of climate-driven redistribution of Pacific tuna species.

MFMR looks forward to working closely with Conservation International, SPC, FFA, FAO and SPREP to develop the full proposal for the project. Best regards

Dr. Christian Ramofafia PERMANENT SECRETARY

From: Sam Finikaso <samfinikaso70@gmail.com> Sent: Thursday, 16 May 2019 3:06 PM To: Johann Bell <jbell@conservation.org> Cc: 'Michael Batty' <michaelb@tuvalufisheries.tv>; 'Vakalasi Apinelu' <nvakalasi@gmail.com>; 'Hon Dr Puakena Boreham' <puakena@yahoo.co.uk> Subject: RE: Did you receive the Green Climate Fund proposal? Talofa Johann; Thank you very much for sending this GCF Tuna Concept Note for us to make comments on. Overall we thinks it’s a very good proposal. Please find attached are our comments to some of the key areas that are of interest to us in the proposal. Please let me know if you require any further information/clarifications. Regards, sam --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuvalu Fisheries Department Comments on the GCF Project Concept Note

‘Adapting Pacific Island Tuna Fisheries to Climate Change’

General Impression: This is a well-prepared concept note which is highly relevant to Tuvalu. Of all the participating countries, Kiribati and Tuvalu are the most dependent on Tuna fisheries for both Government revenue and food security. Adaptation to climate change in this sector will be of vital importance. The barriers impeding action are correctly identified in the analysis, and the proposed adaptations will support Tuvalu in addressing these barriers. Detailed comments/suggestions: Section B2: Project description (Adaptations) Scale-up training in safe and effective FAD-fishing methods for coastal communities, so that fishers making the transition to fishing further offshore can do so with confidence and safety Tuvalu has had good experience with the supply of sea safety grab-bags to coastal tuna fishermen, with two vessels rescued following use of Personal Locator Beacons in 2018. This is a very cost effective intervention (saving lives and hundreds of thousands of dollars in often unsuccessful searches for missing boats) – but it is quite an intensive project requiring an initial investment and follow-up to ensure equipment is maintained, replaced when expired, etc. We would recommend support for this, particularly in the small island countries targeted by the project. Train coastal communities in simple post-harvest methods (e.g. drying, smoking, salting) to increase the storage life of tuna caught around FADs in remote locations without refrigeration (SPC). And

Explore adaptations to minimise disruption to fish supply from transhipping operations for food security of urban populations due to redistribution of tuna, and improve infrastructure for selling/storing tuna where appropriate (FFA and SPC). In the case of Tuvalu we see that these activities will be complementary. Purse seine by-catch is not popular here for direct consumption, due to the salt content and off-flavours from the brine freezing process; but we are exploring its use for dried and smoked products (for which there is an unsatisfied demand). Waste from this process could be used to make pig feed or fertiliser. This would also ‘split’ the market – leaving the supply of fresh fish to local fishing businesses. Note that a vessel was prosecuted last year for dumping fish in Funafuti lagoon, so the vessels also seem to need a solution. Measure the levels of methyl mercury in tuna in the EEZs of Pacific Island countries, so that communities can eat tuna with confidence, and determine if mercury levels are affected by the climate-driven redistribution of tuna (SPC). While methyl mercury is certainly the main concern for coastal communities in the region – with quite high levels found in human hair samples from Tuvalu – it would be sensible to make use of the investment in collecting samples and sending to laboratories by testing for other fisheries product contaminants: lead, cadmium, tin, Benzo(a)pyrene, and Dioxin/PCBs. A comprehensive survey for these across the region would inform the work of competent authorities that certify product for export markets (particularly the EU). In many cases these contaminants are not a problem, but until this is demonstrated national CAs are required to test for them at considerable expense. Note that the sampling methods and sample size required for testing are specified by the EU and are not the same as used for other biological samples. Assess the cost:benefit of building transhipping facilities in Kiribati and Cook Islands, to create jobs if the modelling in 1 iv) above confirms that more tuna fishing will occur in their EEZs due to climate change (FFA) While Tuvalu does not envisage building any new facilities, we have seen a big increase in transhipment activity in Funafuti in recent years with nearly 200 transhipments in 2018. This may be partly CC driven (more frequent El Nino conditions). We would be interested in assistance to strengthen mitigation of any environmental impacts, in particular equipment and training in how to deal with a fuel spill. Section C2 – Justification It may be worth making the point that Pacific Island countries have a major role as custodians of the global tuna resource, and its sustainable management contributes to global food security. The management measures we have put in place have ensured that the WCPO is the only ocean in which all 4 tropical tuna stocks are sustainable, contributing more tuna than all other oceans combined. Our fish is literally feeding the world. Tuvalu feels that this complements the arguments around its importance for local food security and revenues.