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File photo of Chinese fishing fleet. Photo Credit: Tasnim News Agency
May 19, 2026
By Dalip Kumar
Introduction
In the 21st century, the Indo-Pacific geopolitical construct is gaining global attention amid geopolitical competition, yet there is less focus on Pacific island countries (PICs). Pacific island countries hold a prominent place in the Indo-Pacific region. This is due to greater foreign presence and influence in the Pacific Island countries, as well as intensifying geopolitical competition among external partners (Comolli and Thorley, 2025). These pacific islands countries are generally divided into three Ethnographic groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. The nations of the Pacific span 29.5 million square kilometres of ocean and 0.55 million square kilometres of land, and 84% of that land area is in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Populations range from as small as 1500 people (Niue) to PNG at close to 8 million (Tokalau, 2018). Pacific island countries are heterogeneous. Several hundred languages are spoken in the region, and their culture is unique and diverse. PIC’s economy is heavily dependent on the Fishery, tourism and agriculture.
These nations are not small island states but large ocean states with maritime territories spanning 30 million square km (Tokalau, 2018). The ocean is everything to PICs because their Identity, culture, traditions, and economy are determined by it. Although the ocean is the driver of their growth and prosperity, their major security challenges also come from the Ocean itself. The Pacific Island Countries are concerned about human security, which is closely linked to climate and Fishing. So climate change and illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUU-F) constitute a real and existential threat to these countries. PICs pay little attention to external military threats because none face major military threats.
This article examines the implications of climate change and IUU fishing on the livelihoods of Pacific island countries and argues that these complex challenges cannot be addressed in isolation; Pacific island countries should cooperate with other countries, such as China and the United States, while maintaining their strategic autonomy. It further argues that the international community should also regcognise their complex security challenges and help them strengthen their capabilities and resilience against these challenges.
Climate change and sea-level rise
For the Pacific Island countries, climate change poses a greater existential threat than just an environmental one. The future of low-lying islands is threatened by sea level rise and by sensitive marine ecosystems harmed by rising ocean temperatures and acidity (WMO, 2023). Despite contributing only 0.03% of global greenhouse gas emissions, the small Pacific island states are disproportionately affected by many of the challenges posed by climate change (Parsons, 2022). Coral reefs are being destroyed by ocean warming and acidity; scientists estimate that just 1.5°C of warming could cause 70–90% of coral reefs to vanish.
According to Collin Beck, climate change is a “death sentence” for the Pacific. For instance, Storm Winston, dubbed the strongest storm ever, struck Fiji in February 2016 and left 44 people dead, almost 130 injured, and 45 hospitalised. The storm had a major impact on the health system, including damage to medical facilities, interruptions to health care services, shortages of medical supplies, and disruptions to energy, water, and telecommunications (WHO, 2016). According to a NASA analysis, sea level rise poses a threat to the territory of Kiribati and Tuvalu. About 800 settlements have been identified by the Fijian government as potentially requiring relocation due to the effects of climate change.
Rising sea levels, more storms, and coastal flooding are all effects of climate change on the maritime environment. The issue of access to fresh water and food is exacerbated by climate change. Natural systems are affected by climate change, and disruptions to these systems have a detrimental impact on human security, thereby fueling maritime crime. According to Bergin, Brewster, and Bachhawat (2019), the increase in maritime crime negatively impacts ecosystems and accelerates climate change.
PICs are creating a regional response to maritime boundaries and sea level rise. Climate change poses the greatest threat to the livelihoods, security, and well-being of the Pacific Island Forum’s participants, according to the Boe Declaration Action Plan of 2018 (Long, Turvold, and McCann, 2021).
Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing (IUU-F)
Despite having a land area of only slightly more than 550,000 km2, the Pacific Island nations assert exclusive economic zones (EEZs) that cover more than 30 million km2 of the most productive waters in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean, which is roughly the size of the African continent. In these areas, fishing is closely linked to environmental, community, personal, economic, and food security (Govellla, 2024). Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing (IUU-F) deeply undermines their human and maritime security (Long, Turvold, and McCann, 2021). The richest tuna fishery in the world is found in the Pacific Ocean; around 60% of the world’s tuna catch, valued at roughly $6 billion USD annually, occurs here. However, the annual cost of illegal fishing to the region ranges from 616 million to 2.2 billion dollars. The region has seen corruption due to inadequate fishing licensing Provisions. Fisheries officials are susceptible to bribery to obtain licenses or secure the release of vessels that have been arrested.
The Action Plan for the Boe Declaration focuses on strengthening measures to combat IUU-F by improving monitoring and surveillance capacities, but the majority of PICs remain unable to fully police their EEZs and regulate their fisheries, leaving them particularly susceptible to IUU-F (Long, Turvold, and McCann, 2021).
Conclusion
Pacific island countries are not small island states but large ocean states. These nations heavily rely on the ocean for their well-being and prosperity. The ocean plays a significant part in their culture, tradition, and identity. PIC’s economy is based on the fisheries, tourism, and agriculture industries, which depend on the ocean and are highly vulnerable to climate change and IUU-F. Maritime security is indispensable to PICs because it is a core pillar of economic, social, and human security. The PICs have implemented many programs to enhance maritime security, including maritime capacity-building, information-sharing, and security assistance operations, to strengthen their position against maritime security challenges. But the lack of maritime law enforcement assets hinders monitoring coastal waters and enforcing regulations. To address these issues, PICs have established the Pacific Island Forum to enhance cooperation. But these mechanisms are ineffective at addressing emerging complex non-traditional security challenges. To address these non-traditional maritime security challenges, PICs should cooperate with other countries, including the United States, China, Japan, and India, while maintaining their strategic autonomy, and the international community should also recognise their responsibility to strengthen the PICs’ resilience against climate change and IUU-F.
References
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