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Indepth

(MCS) strategy, establishing clear monitoring frameworks and Subsequent effort to forge an agreed allocation of fishing catch
benchmarks against which progress in the effectiveness of MCS amongst the parties has been extremely challenging as single national
measures and the fight against IUU can be effectively measured interests have too often trumped collective regional consensus.
in the future
• International recognition and emulation of FFA’s Monitoring, IB: Another major challenge during your time was
Control & Surveillance “I have urged that the US broaden its relationship with PICs the US Multilateral
platforms and frame- Treaty. What’s your
works and zone rights across a range of sectors and modalities rather than be so thoughts on this,
based management legal heavily dependent on and susceptible to the [US Multilateral now that you have
left the FFA? Is this
framework the kind of arrange-
• Integration of fisheries fisheries] treaty. There is even strong doubt as to whether the ment FFA members
and political groupings of bulk of the US fleet will see continued advantage in the treaty.” should continue to
sub-regional interest into pursue collectively
the work programme and you think? Or be-
culture of FFA secretariat and governing councils cause of the Vessel Day Scheme (VDS), is such multilat-
• Establishing a close and positive working relationship with other eral arrangements on fisheries is no longer relevant?
Council of Regional Organisations (CROP) CEOs, regional ministers
and leaders JM: The future of the US treaty in its current form is still not en-
• Adoption by Leaders of fisheries as a standing Pacific Islands tirely clear. As you know changes were made in the last US treaty
Forum Leaders agenda item. amendment to make the Treaty more flexible to take better account
of difference in condition and interests of both the PICs as well the
IB: Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing US fleet. The PNA VDS has certainly changed the dynamic between
was a big issue even before you joined. You were quite and within the two parties, and PNA member and PNA Office support
vocal during your time at FFA about addressing IUU. was critical to concluding this last treaty negotiation.
Now that you’ve completed your term as DG, are you With the revised treaty we are seeing changes in the operations
satisfied with the progress of work done? of US boats which has resulted in a reduction in the uptake of days
by the US fleet. Whether that is a trend is not yet clear. It is also still
JM: The fight against IUU fishing is a never-ending one. I am satis- premature to reach any conclusions on the prospects for growth in
fied with what we did during my term. This includes adoption of the US fishing in the non PNA member EEZs apart from Cook Islands. On
regional MCS strategy, commencement of the regional information the other hand, even some of the PNA member countries may face
management framework for fisheries information integration and diminished leverage and benefits if there is no collective US treaty.
sharing, new regional air surveillance, enhanced support from the What is clear is that there is a wide range of interests in the treaty
Regional Fisheries Surveillance Centre and regional MCS frameworks, amongst the PICs, and those interests can be quite sharp given the
and introduction of academically-certified professional training for widely diverse financial implications for all members. On top of that,
fisheries enforcement officers. Very importantly, with the MRAG study because the US Treaty is the principal modality of US government
on regional IUU and the adoption of the regional MCS strategy, we have engagement with many of the PICs, its negotiation and renewal could
established clear monitoring frameworks and benchmarks against be expected to result in diplomatic pressure being applied on the
which progress in the effectiveness of MCS measures and the fight PICs by the US and its supporters, which may not be appreciated. In
against IUU can be effectively measured in the future. This is very that regard, in my meetings with US diplomats I have urged that the
important at both national and regional level to ensure accountability US broaden its relationship with PICs across a range of sectors and
that we are actually making progress in the fight against IUU.
modalities rather than be so heavily dependent on and susceptible
to the treaty. There is even strong doubt as to whether the bulk of
IB: What about the Tokelau Arrangement? Am I right
in thinking that this would be one of your legacies as the US fleet will see continued advantage in the treaty.
DG of FFA, a real, significant attempt to save the South
Pacific albacore tuna? What has this achieved, what IB: Can I seek your views on the relationships and
are the obstacles, and what needs to happen in order dynamics between the FFA and partner organisations
to make this Arrangement effective? like:
a. Parties of the Nauru Agreement
JM: Since at least 2004, when I was the founding and first Chair
of the Pacific Islands Tuna Industry Association (PITIA), I have been JM: The fact is that from that outset in 2010 the FFA secretariat
encouraging the countries who share the southern albacore longline has remained committed to our role to support and supplement the
fishery to adopt a collective approach, similar to the Parties to the capability of our PNA members to secure improved benefits within
Nauru Agreement (PNA) for the purse seine fishery, in order to assert their particular fishery. The establishment of the PNA Office as well
their collective coastal states rights under the United Nations Law as other sub-regional fisheries-of-common- interest (such as the
of the Sea (UNCLOS) and Fish Stocks Agreements and gain better Tokelau Agreement parties and VDS sub-pooling arrangements), are
leverage to manage their shared highly migratory resource including a natural evolution of the fundamental PIC legal framework of zone
on the adjacent high seas. During my tenure I was able to work with rights based management that firmly underpins the establishment
those FFA members to establish the Tokelau Agreement in 2012/13. of the FFA.

Islands Business, March 2019 37