Page 20 - IB AUG 2017

Fisheries
Thumbs up for tuna scheme

PACIFIC tuna resource owners concluded primary target species for purse seiners, purse seine fleets and between different
their annual meeting in the Marshall Is- showed that this important stock is being vessels in the same fleet.
lands by sending a strong message of their maintained around the Target Reference • Ministers were encouraged by imple-
commitment to conserving and managing Point, meaning skipjack is being fished mentation of the revised fishing treaty
tuna resources, while increasing economic at sustainable levels. Because fishing with the United States in 2017, including
benefits for the nine islands in the western for tropical tuna stocks occurs mainly in the fact that all U.S. industry fees had been
and central Pacific that use the globally- the waters of the PNA and other Forum received. But the leaders expressed grave
recognised “Vessel Day Scheme” (VDS) to Fisheries Agency (FFA) members, PNA concern that the U.S. Government had not
manage their fishery. Ministers called on other Western and paid its 2017-18 contribution by the due
Ministers from the eight Parties to the Central Pacific Fisheries Commission date of 14 June 2017. Ministers noted that
Nauru Agreement (PNA) members — (WCPFC) members to work with the PNA this U.S. Government contribution is an
Papua New Guinea, Kiribati, Solomon and the other FFA Members to ensure the integral part of the revised Treaty arrange-
Islands, Tuvalu, Marshall Islands, Nauru, long term conservation and management ment and this failure to meet the payment
Federated States of Micronesia and Palau of those stocks in ways that recognize terms seriously affects the financial man-
— and Tokelau recognised the successful the special requirements of Small Island agement of Pacific Island Governments
implementation of the purse seine VDS, Developing States that are highly depen- that are dependent on fisheries access
the development of the longline VDS and dent on these stocks, and do not transfer revenues for their budgets. The ministers
the progress in branding and vertical in- a disproportionate burden of conserva- called on the U.S. Department of State to
tegration through the Marine Stewardship tion action onto SIDS in accordance with overcome the apparent process-related dif-
Council (MSC) and the Pacifical marketing WCPFC Conservation and Management ficulties that have caused this delay, and
joint venture. Measures 2013-06 and 2013-07. directed the FFA to provide an update to
At the outset of the three-day meeting • Ministers expressed concern about the the Forum Fisheries Committee Ministerial
Kiribati Minister of Fisheries and Marine overfished status of bigeye tuna, which meeting in early July.
Resources Development Tetabo Nakara is important for the longline fishery, and For the PNA Trial Fish Aggregating
handed over chairmanship of the PNA to called for the adoption of measures at the Device (FAD) Tracking and Monitoring
his counterpart from the Marshall Islands, WCPFC meeting later this year to rebuild Program, the ministers welcomed the
Minister of Resources and Development the bigeye stock within the agreed time plan for a FAD workshop to progress FAD
Alfred Alfred, Jr. The ministers thanked frame of ten years. management. They also recommended the
both new CEO Ludwig Kumoru and • From PNA business initiatives to date, development of amendments of domestic
outgoing CEO Dr. Transform Aqorau for the ministers see there is great scope legislation and PNA Implementing Ar-
their work in furthering effective resource for increasing benefits from PNA tuna rangements to enforce compliance with
management and business initiatives of resources. This includes such initiatives FAD tracking and FAD management by
the PNA. as having more of the tuna catch within 2018.
Following Marshall Islands President PNA waters processed in PNA onshore The ministers took steps to implement
Hilda Heine’s announcement at the open- facilities, and the PNA’s small scale tuna decisions by an earlier PNA Ministerial
ing of the 12th PNA Ministerial Meeting canning training and technical assistance Meeting and last year’s Pacific Islands
Wednesday of the Marshall Islands inten- program to members that is increasing Forum Leaders to halt bunkering on the
tion to build a new facility for the PNA food self-sufficiency through develop- high seas. Ministers agreed that at the
Office in Majuro, ministers agreed to the ment of small and medium sized local 2018 annual meeting, Parties will adopt
plan, and committed to share the financing enterprises. a revision to appropriate legal instruments
of the building. • Ministers viewed reports on trends in banning high seas bunkering by purse
In addition, PNA called on members of tuna catches in PNA waters, which con- seine vessels as a condition of licenses to
the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries firm that the VDS is effectively controlling fish in Party waters.
Commission to work with them on adopt- the number of purse seine vessels while The ministers also determined that this
ing a new conservation measure at the promoting growth in domestic fleets. bunkering revision will take into account
December annual meeting that will sustain PNA has held effort within the agreed the geographical situation of Kiribati,
tuna resources going forward, expressed limit at 2010 catch levels and relatively which has three areas of EEZ separated
concern about the delay in a scheduled stable catches have been maintained. In by areas of high seas.
payment by the United States government keeping with these limits, the ministers Ministers also agreed that the PNA
for fisheries access of its purse seine fleet, adopted VDS fishing day limits for 2017 Office and FFA will conduct a review of
and set the “Total Allowed Effort” — the and 2018, with a provisional total allowed the range of issues involved in bringing
number of fishing days annually allowed effort agreed for 2019. bunkering into zone, designated areas or
for purse seine fishing 2017-2019 — as • The increase in revenue from VDS ports, through closing high seas bunker-
well as the “Parties Allowed Effort” — the implementation from about US$60 mil- ing.
division of the TAE for each of the nine lion annually seven years ago to between Before concluding the 12th PNA Minis-
islands implementing the VDS. US$450-US$500 million in 2016 was terial Meeting, ministers agreed to accept
Among key developments at this welcomed by the ministers, who took Nauru’s invitation to host the 2018 annual
week’s annual PNA Ministers meeting: note of the wide range of profitability and Official and Ministerial Meetings.
• A stock report on skipjack tuna, the financial capacity to pay for days between n PNA

20 Islands Business, August 2017