Reducing tuna’s carbon footprint in the Marshall Islands
27 February 2025, Majuro – Assessments conducted by the global fish value chain development program FISH4ACP demonstrate that improving energy and water management can significantly reduce energy consumption and mitigate the carbon footprint of tuna processing and containerization on the Marshall Islands.
The assessments, carried out in October 2024 by FISH4ACP in partnership with Marshallese tuna industry partners, reveal that solar energy, high-efficiency refrigeration, water management and utilization have the potential to cut diesel consumption of tuna processing and port services companies by 1.4 million liters per year.
The studies also make clear that infrastructure improvements reinforce resilience across the tuna industry and promote sustainable blue economy practices in line with discussions on sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources at the Honiara Summit taking place on the Solomon Islands this week.
“These assessments will help us take the next step to strengthen our position as a go to safe harbor for legitimate transshipment and dockside offloading,” said Glen Joseph, Director of the Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority (MIMRA).
Innovative solutions for a sustainable tuna value chain
In recent years Majuro, the capital of the Marshall Islands, has become one of the world’s leading transshipment ports for tuna. In 2022, 191 000 tonnes of skip jack tuna passed through this port. Yet only 5 000 tonnes, or about 3 per cent, were landed locally for exports in containers.
FISH4ACP is working hand in hand with MIMRA to upgrade the Marshallese tuna value chain, aiming to expand local containerization to 30 per cent of tuna catches over the next ten years, estimating that this would generate USD 33 million of direct value added and create over 1 000 jobs.
“We have evaluated critical infrastructure challenges in tuna processing and containerization,” said Sergio Bolasina, FISH4ACP’s International consultant in the Marshall Islands. “At the same time, we propose ways to use water and energy more efficiently to reduce operational costs and improve resource efficiency.”
“Innovative solutions can help tackle inefficiencies in water and energy usage, such as deteriorating wastewater systems, unreliable power sources, and operational inefficiencies,” said Matthew Walsh, an FAO consultant who conducted the studies, adding: “They offer significant cost, energy, and carbon savings with favorable returns on investment.”
Matthew Walsh added that seawater cooling could save USD 1.3 - 1.5 million annually in diesel costs, while solar roofs could reduce carbon emissions by 4 500 - 6 000 metric tons. Moreover, infrastructure upgrades, such as improved drainage and surface paving, could further reduce energy consumption, lower equipment maintenance costs by USD 500 000 per year, and prevent contamination of coastal waters.
Two earlier FISH4ACP studies show that investing in cold storage and tuna loading can transform the Marshall Islands into a hub for tuna containerisation, boosting economic growth and employment, while keeping the environmental impact in check.
The challenges of a Pacific Island nation
Fish processing and port services on the Marshall Islands operate within the constraints typical of Small Island Developing States, including high energy costs and limited access to resources. Added to this, as an atoll nation, the Marshall Islands have very little land on which to expand infrastructure, such as water storage facilities, renewable energy systems or fish cold storage facilities.
“These realities are compounded by logistical issues related to the remote location of Pacific Island nations, but also from rising temperatures and other environmental characteristics due to climate change, which adds to the urgency of making real efficiency gains in energy and water management and lower tuna’s carbon footprint,” Matthew Walsh said.
FISH4ACP is an initiative of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) aimed at making fisheries and aquaculture value chains in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific more productive and sustainable. FISH4ACP is implemented by FAO with funding from the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).