Written by MFOR Media on 20 August 2025.
Following the recent endorsement of their management plans on Friday, 8 August 2025, in North Tabiteuea, the Coastal Fisheries Division successfully conducted a basic enforcement training from 11 to 13 August 2025 for five villages: Tekabwibwi, Tekaman, Tanaeang, Eita, and Kabuna. The training specifically targeted the Nei Tengarengare Executive Committee, the body responsible for monitoring and implementing these management plans. The committee is made up of councillors, the chairperson, waen te mwaneaba, village warden, an elder representative, and three representatives from youth, women, and men. The purpose of the training was to clarify the roles and responsibilities of the committee, including what they are authorized to do and what falls outside their mandate. As emphasized during the sessions, “Management plans or any laws have no real meaning if they are not enforced.” The communities expressed their gratitude for the training and left with a stronger understanding of how to respond when someone is found breaching the law. A special acknowledgment goes to the people of North Tabiteuea, the Mayor, elders (Unimwane), and all the villages for their willingness to take on the responsibility of being enforcers in order to protect and sustain their coastal resources for the present and future generations. The Ministry extends sincere gratitude to the World Bank, through the PROP project, for their financial support, and to Australia for their unwavering partnership in making this activity possible.