In late May this year, a symposium on ciguatera poisoning in the Pacific Islands was held in Nelson, Aotearoa New Zealand. Officers from the CA and CFD presented ciguatera monitoring, awareness, and other activities occurring in Kiribati at this symposium. Among the participants were Fisheries officers from Tonga, Fiji, Wallis & Futuna, and the Cook Islands, as well as representatives from other institutes, including USP, FNU, and Ciguatera scientists from Australia, French Polynesia, Japan, and New Zealand, in particular, the Cawthron Institute who were hosting the symposium.

This event provided a platform for sharing knowledge and experiences about ciguatera monitoring and scientific research, fostering collaboration among regional and international experts. A focus of the discussions was on strategies to mitigate the impacts of ciguatera poisoning, increase public awareness, and improve monitoring systems in the Pacific region.

The meeting also facilitated discussions on future research, funding and collaboration opportunities to address the challenges posed by ciguatera poisoning in the Pacific region.