Micoast Supporting Community-based Fisheries Management in Micronesia

05/08/2026

📢🏝️ 📰 CBFM in Micronesia not one thing, but there are values and principles that we share. 🐟🌏

At our Learning Event bringing together practitioners from across the Pacific in last year we learnt that:

🐠 CBFM must include everyone to be effective. Scaling means going deeper, not just wider- supporting what works and communities on the ground.
🐠 Communities cannot do this work alone: sustained government support, durable financing and clear legal backing are essential.
🐠 Storytelling emerged as a core tool, not an optional add-on 🐠 We are many. A Micronesian community of practice is emerging. 🏝️🌏

Learn more about the six insights that we gained about CBFM in Micronesia by reading our Learning Brief, available below.

https://kiwainitiative.org/en/news/projects-monitoring/roots-to-reefs-and-beyond-six-lessons-from-micronesian-community-based-fisheries-practitioners



The regional project is funded by the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, La politique étrangère du Canada – Affaires mondiales Canada, Canada in the Pacific, European Union in the Pacific,
AFD - Agence Française de Développement and New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

In November 2025, more than 75 fisheries practitioners, community leaders, and regional partners gathered in Koror, Palau, for the first Roots to Reefs and Beyo...

05/04/2026

📰 🏝️ Read about the insights that we've gained about in , and news from our partners throughout Micronesia in our May newsletter! 👀🪸🐠🎣

05/03/2026

📰🇫🇲 On Thursday 16 April, fishers, community and leaders from Kitti came together in to develop a management plan for their local waters.🎣🐠🪸

On the importance of resource management and conservation to Kitti, Emerson Eperiam, the Luhkenmoanlap or Mayor of Kitti Municipal Government stated that, "Protecting our marine resources today shouldn't be an option, rather it is essential to take fundamental steps to prevent any decline in our marine biodiversity, to guarantee long term food security for generations to come, for traditional practices and to compliment the stability of our economy of Pohnpei especially in Kitti. Having a fisheries management plan in place will not only define our ability to establish a great tool but upon this tool we are reminded that we must respect these blessing from our creator". 🏝️🌏

The community was hosted and facilitated by Conservation Society of Pohnpei with technical support from fisheries expert Kevin Rhodes. The plan is intended to maintain fish populations and natural resources so they remain available to the community in the years ahead. CSP will be carrying out further consultations and work with Kitti Municipality to finalise their Management Plan.

This initiative was funded and supported by the regional project. MiCOAST is funded by the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, La politique étrangère du Canada – Affaires mondiales Canada, Canada in the Pacific, European Union in the Pacific,
AFD - Agence Française de Développement and New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade

04/19/2026

📰🇫🇲 It’s a valuable opportunity to go into communities, meet people and see the work that we do. Last Tuesday, local conservation leaders in hosted H.E. Véronique Roger-Lacan, French Ambassador to the Pacific, and her Deputy Mr. Guillaume Josso. 🏝️

The delegation visited the Marine and Environmental Research Institute of Pohnpei (MERIP) and heard directly from them and the Conservation Society of Pohnpei about their work with . They then toured Madolenihmw and took a boat out to visit the rabbitfish farms. 🐠

Hannah Wheaton, our Regional Project Manager, who attended the visit said “We really valued the chance to show one of our major donors the impact their support has on Pohnpeian households.”

The regional MiCOAST project is funded by the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, La politique étrangère du Canada – Affaires mondiales Canada, Canada in the Pacific, European Union in the Pacific, AFD - Agence Française de Développement and New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade




-LePacifique

Photos:
Photo 1. Rickson Washington, Charlotte Suzuki, Jayson Silbanuz, Sandarihna Silbanuz,Adarino Henry, Guillaume Josso, H.E Véronique Roger-Lacan, Jasmine Mendiola (CSP), Hannah Wheaton and Tristan David outside the MERIP office. Photo courtesy of Hannah Wheaton.
Photo 2. Jasmine Mendiola, from CSP and H.E. Véronique Roger-Lacan en route to visit the rabbitfish cages. Photo taken by Hannah Wheaton.
Photo 3. Conservation Society of Pohnpei Operations Director Jasmine Mendiola presenting on their MiCOAST work. Photo taken by Hannah Wheaton.
Photo 4. H.E. Véronique Roger-Lacan and Mr. Guillaume Josso inspecting the rabbitfish cages at one of the households supported by MERIP, under the MiCOAST project. Photo taken by Hannah Wheaton.

04/14/2026

🇫🇲📰 Yap highlight: "Through strong community stewardship, guided by both traditional knowledge and modern management approaches, the Weloy forest is recovering." 🌴🏝️🌳

🦜🌱 🐦‍⬛Find out more about what our partners OneReef WorldWide Stewardship are working on in forestry conservation in Weloy 🇫🇲📢

The regional project is funded by the
Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade,
La politique étrangère du Canada – Affaires mondiales Canada, Canada in the Pacific, European Union in the Pacific AFD - Agence Française de Développement and New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade

In the news Home News Projects monitoring Community Forest Stewardship in Weloy Municipality, Yap State (FSM)

04/13/2026

📢🇲🇭 Team spotlight: Meet Leimomie Masumoto, the Data and Information Officer at Marshall Islands Conservation Society based in Majuro . Don’t let her job title fool you, she does way more than spend all her time in the office. Leimomi has been going out into the field with the MICS team and consulting with communities in the outer atolls to update their management plans through the process, and working as the officer to make sure everyone has a voice and no one gets left behind. 🏝️🌏

Leimomie enthuses, “I just love doing my job. I just love giving back to my community.”

“I'm an outgoing person. I'm a person that people can usually talk to. And what I love about my job is to connect with my people and I just want to help them adapt to climate change…It's a good feeling knowing that what you do has an impact.”

She gives the example of their work in Ujae as a project that has inspired her, where the community has chosen to build their own traditional wind-powered canoe designed for travel between atolls as their livelihood activity to support their management plan. She explains that “right now with fuel prices rising up…instead of depending on the boat to come because sometimes the boat doesn't come. Instead of waiting for the boat to bring people in so that they can go to the other islands and take their coconut and sell it…they can just use the canoe and go and bring in the coconut…They won't have to rely on someone else. They'll have what they need.”

We are proud to have Leimomi and the MICS team as part of our MiCOAST community. You can find out more about Leimomi and MICS’ work at: https://www.atollconservation.org

04/06/2026

📢 We are welcoming Hannah Wheaton who is stepping into the role of Regional Project Manager at MiCOAST. 🙌🏼🏝️🪸🎣

Many of you will already know Hannah from her work as our GEDSI Specialist over the past 1.5 years, where she’s played a key role in strengthening inclusive approaches across the project.

Hannah brings nearly 20 years of project management experience and will now be leading coordination across our partners as MiCOAST moves into its next phase.

Fun fact: Hannah loves fishing and is always keen to get out to communities (especially if it involves a boat trip!) 🐠🚤

02/26/2026

📢 🇫🇲"Sakau is truly the heart of Pohnpeian culture". 🧉🌱

Congratulations to the team at Conservation Society of Pohnpei on their film showcasing their work in the encouraging farmers to grow sakau in the lowlands and protect their upland forests and watersheds.🌱 🌴🧉

This initiative is funded by the regional project, which is funded by Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
La politique étrangère du Canada – Affaires mondiales Canada Canada in the Pacific European Union in the Pacific AFD - Agence Française de Développement and New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade

02/01/2026

🇳🇷📢 “Together we can protect our coast, our reefs and our oceans.” 🌊🎣 🏝️

🪸🐠 Nauru Fisheries and Marine Resources Authority has formed the Nauru Community Fishers Stakeholder Forum to gather community leaders from every community in to work with them to develop and manage their coastal resources. This is an important governing body created under the Coastal Fisheries and Aquaculture Act 2020 and is a great step forward for CBFM in Nauru. 🙌🏼🐟🌅

This initiative is supported by the regional project, which is funded by Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade,
La politique étrangère du Canada – Affaires mondiales Canada, Canada in the Pacific, European Union in the Pacific, AFD - Agence Française de Développement and New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

01/29/2026

🇲🇭 📰 We definitely did not know that the Reimaanlok framework in has 5 levels of environmental protection: 🏝️🌊🐠

Categories of Protected Areas 🌿
Areas and restrictions will differ depending on the type of protected area:
(a) Type I: Subsistence Only 🍽️🌱
The area is managed for subsistence, non-commercial use. Under international standards, this aligns with IUCN Category VI – Managed Resource Protected Area.
(b) Type II: Special Reserve 🛑🐚
This area is subject to a high level of protection, with only occasional and very limited subsistence use or special-occasion activities.
(c) Type III: Restricted and Protected Area 🚫🌊
This area is fully restricted, with no activities permitted, either within a large protected area or in a specifically identified zone.
(d) Type IV: Traditional Mo 👑🌴
This area includes parts of land, entire land areas, or reef areas managed and restricted through traditional Mo practices, overseen exclusively by Chiefs (Iroij).
(e) Type V: National Sanctuary – Restricted and Protected 🐢🦜
A large protected area designated for national habitats and declared by the Minister under the Regulation. This category may include protected areas established under Type II, Type III, and Type IV.

Find out more about this unique model of on Marshall Islands Conservation Society's Reimaanlok page.

🛡️🇲🇭 Did You Know? 🇲🇭🛡️

There are 5 methods of protection under the Reimaanlok Framework. 👩‍🏫🌿🌞

Checkout the comments section for what those 5 types are. 💎👇

01/26/2026

🏝️🐠 in action in Lae atoll, 🌊🎣🇲🇭

From October 8–23, 2025, the Marshall Islands Conservation Society (MICS) traveled to Lae Atoll to support the update of the community’s Resource Management Plan through the process.

Working closely with Lae Atoll’s traditional leaders, local government officials, and community members, the MICS team supported strengthening local efforts to secure a sustainable future for the atoll.

During nearly two weeks on Lae, the team facilitated community consultations, revised the management plan, supported the election of new Local Resource Committee members, and led focus group discussions with fishers. Activities also included community mapping and site visits, storytelling sessions with elders, and other community-driven engagements.

Fisheries Officer AJ Alik said, “The Resource Management Plan is updated every 5 years and is a great opportunity to hear feedback from the community on what is working and what is not working when it comes to conservation of their natural resources both marine and terrestrial. The update helps communities reaffirm their current priorities for sustainable resource management. Through the Kiwa MICOAST project, resources are dedicated to undertake tailored alternative livelihood initiatives. In Lae atoll, the community requested support from MICS in building garden towers.”

MICS will return to Lae to continue working alongside the community and leadership on their livelihood initiative and to further support implementation of the Resource Management Plan. Stay tuned for more updates coming soon.

This initiative is funded by the regional project, which is funded by Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade,
La politique étrangère du Canada – Affaires mondiales Canada, Canada in the Pacific, European Union in the Pacific - Agence Française de Développement and New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.