People caught fishing illegally in the newly launched marine protected areas (MPA) could face up to a million tala in fines or imprisonment. A detailed plan to create nine fully-protected marine areas, effectively safeguarding 30 per cent of Samoa’s waters and the passage of a new law to ensure that 100 per cent of its waters will be sustainably managed by 2030, was launched last week.
The new marine protected areas will prohibit all fishing activities across some 36,000 square kilometres of ocean, the equivalent square-kilometre coverage to roughly the size of Vietnam, ensuring these waters remain completely off-limits to extractive use. Details of the plan have been released on the very eve of the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, during which it is anticipated that nations from around the globe will reveal their strategies to better safeguard national waters and contribute to a growing global network of marine protected areas under the overarching banner to protect 30 per cent of the ocean by 2030.
