Page 24 - IB JAN 2017

Fisheries
Cooks leads the way

Quota system for Community (SPC), taking several years catch of 10,680 tonnes caught in 2012.
to bring to fruition. The Tokelau Arrange-
The TAC for bigeye tuna will be 3500
albacore, bigeye ment nations (Cook Islands, Australia, tonnes under the regulations. In addition
to license fees, fishing vessels will now
Fiji, New Zealand, Niue, Samoa, Solomon
Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanu-
and bigeye and each vessel will be as-
atu) proposed to rein in catch and effort pay $250 per tonne of quota for albacore
levels in the South Pacific albacore fishery, signed a minimum catch quota.
after SPC predicted fishing at current levels The Cook Islands tuna fishery has typi-
had a high risk of pushing albacore stocks cally consisted of longline vessels target-
over the edge in the next 20 years. Under ing South Pacific Albacore servicing the
the FFA Future of Fisheries Roadmap, canneries of Pago Pago and Apia.
Forum leaders have committed to replac- A small domestic fresh fish fleet oper-
ing effort controls (access fees) on fishing ates out of Rarotonga, supplying the local
by Helen Greig with catch-based (quota) systems within market and some foreign exports. Locally
10 years. based fishing vessels are exempted from
The Cook Islands has become the first purchasing a minimum quota mix.
Pacific Island nation to adopt a quota ‘ It is important for us to The most recent stock assessment on
management system (QMS) for its long- increase the data from all South Pacific Albacore was conducted in
line fishery to control catches of albacore 2015 by the Pacific Community’s Oceanic
and bigeye tuna. fishing operations ... for Fisheries Program (OFP) and concluded
The Marine Resources (Large Pelagic management planning that overfishing is not occurring and the
Longline Fishery and Quota Management ‘ stock is currently not overfished.
System) Regulations 2016 approved by - Cooks Fisheries director Tim Costelloe The total catch of albacore from longlin-
Cabinet and the Executive Council last Electronic monitoring and electronic ing within the Cook Islands in 2015 was
week, mark a significant step forward in reporting at sea are key technological ad- 3,271 metric tonnes. The 2015 Western
allowing the Cook Islands to commit to a vances that will make the QMS possible. Central Pacific Fisheries Convention Area
catch limit agreed to among Pacific Island The Cook Islands has one of the most well- (WCPF-CA) catch of South Pacific albacore
countries through the Tokelau Arrange- managed longline fisheries in the region, was 68,594mt.
ment for the Management of the South with historically high levels of observer Bigeye tuna stock status is of particular
Pacific Longline Fishery and harvest coverage and verification of catches. MMR concern and is a key species caught in
strategy regulations being developed by believes the QMS will promote transpar- both the longline (as valuable adults) and
the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries ency and availability of catch data and purse seine fishery (mostly as juvenile).
Commission (WCPFC). A fishery based on limits. Fisheries Observers are placed on The most recent stock assessment on
catch limits under a QMS is a management longline vessels to collect independent bigeye tuna was conducted in 2014 by the
system that is globally regarded as best data on fishing activity. The Cook Islands Pacific Community’s OFP and concluded
practice for commercial fisheries, and is now aims to increase observer coverage that bigeye tuna is currently overfished
supported by international environmental to 20 per cent of sea days. and overfishing is occurring.
groups, including WWF. Offshore Fisheries Division Director Tim The total catch of bigeye in the Cook
“We have received strong support re- Costelloe says, “It is important for us to Islands in 2015 was 517 tonnes in the
gionally for taking the lead on transition- increase the data from all fishing opera- longline fishery and 96 tonnes in the purse
ing from an effort-based system to a QMS. tions to a minimum of 20 per cent, to make seine fishery. The Western Central Pacific
The focus is to restructure and control the the available data statistically relevant for Fisheries Convention Area (WCPF-CA)
longline fishery to meet our commitment management planning. We can do this by catch of bigeye was 134,084mt. Approxi-
to work with other States to ensure ef- a combination of increasing the number mately 48,700mt of bigeye was taken in
fective conservation and management of of Observers on the boats, and with our the purse seine fishery and 64,000mt in
albacore and bigeye stocks,” says MMR implementation of Electronic Monitoring the longline fishery.
Secretary Ben Ponia. using cameras on the vessels to increase The Cook Islands currently has a maxi-
“We are hoping this system will be ad- the level of coverage even further.” mum limit of 50 longline vessels licensed
opted throughout the Pacific region. The Replacing the 2012 regulations, which to fish within the Cook Islands EEZ at
Cook Islands can now set a precedent as were based on set license fees for domestic any one time. MMR remains committed to
one of the significant longline albacore and foreign longline fishing vessels, the best practice precautionary management
fisheries in the region, and one of the few 2016 QMS regulations sets out a total al- of stocks inside the Cook Islands EEZ
with a bigeye fishery,” says Ponia. lowable catch (TAC) and total allowable through its mandate under the Marine
Development of the QMS has been a commercial catch (TACC) for albacore and Resources Act 2005 to ensure the stocks
collaborative effort with the New Zealand bigeye tuna for each calendar year from 1 remain healthy, and to maximize ecologi-
Ministry of Primary Industries, the Forum January. The albacore TAC has been set at cal and economic benefit for the people of
Fisheries Agency (FFA) and the Pacific 9750 metric tonnes, well below the peak the Cook Islands long term.

24 Islands Business, January 2017