Pacific Island Tuna supports Arno community with $100,000 for coastal resource management

(TNC) — On Aug. 18, 2025, Pacific Island Tuna or PIT presented $100,000 to the Arno community in the Republic of the Marshall Islands to support the implementation of Arno’s Atoll Management Plan and strengthen local coastal conservation.

The ceremony, held at the Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority conference room, brought together national and local leaders, including Minister Tony Muller, Arno Senator Gerald Zackios, Arno Mayor Baji Danny, PAN coordinator Alicia Edwards, The Nature Conservancy Micronesia and Polynesia Marshall Islands Program Manager Chloe Abraham, and PIT General Manager Gene Muller.

Launched in 2022 by TNC and MIMRA, PIT is a public-private venture that sources and supplies sustainably caught tuna products to global retailers, directing its profits into island communities and conservation efforts. Its co-ownership structure — with resource owners and TNC, which does not take profits — means that revenue from harvest, processing, and sales flows directly back to the resource owners: Pacific Island people. Through this model, 40% of proceeds from offshore tuna fisheries are reinvested into community improvement, marine conservation, and climate resilience projects across the Pacific.