the major share of the eez is fairly evenly distributed between noncommonwealth countries and dependent territories the ocean and coastal seas have long been integral to the pacific way of life and world view commercial fishing access fees contribute up to per cent of national revenue for some pacific island nations and tourism may be the largest contributor to formal employment bell et al this chapter sets out to briefly review the state and importance of its contributions to pacific island countries outline its governance and management arrangements and after identifying some key issues and promising responses suggest some ways forward to achieve a sustainable future