Pacific Islands renew efforts to manage tuna stocks [1]
Friday, December 6, 2013 - 11:48
Tongan delegates, from left, Losaline Ma‘asi and Nunia Mone. Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission meeting, Cairns, Australia. Photo courtesy FFA.
Overfishing of tuna in the Pacific Islands has led to calls to substantially reduce fishing effort for Big-eye and Bluefin and to introduce strengthened catch limits for Albacore.
Sustainable management of tuna stocks is a core objective of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) and an issue discussed in its meeting in Cairns, Australia this week.
The 10th WCPFC held from 2-6 December was preceded by the 88th Session of the Forum Fisheries Committee (FFC) meeting attended by more than 60 participants including Losaline Ma’asi the CEO of Tonga's Ministry of Agriculture, Food, Forests and Fisheries and Deputy CEO Nunia Mone.
The Director-General of the Forum Fisheries Agency James Movick said on 4 December, sustainable management of tuna stocks is at the core of the objectives of the commission and there are several key stocks in need of strengthened management arrangements including big-eye, albacore and pacific Bluefin tuna.
He said proposals to address all three are being discussed at the meeting, including proposals to substantially reduce fishing effort for big-eye and Bluefin and to introduce strengthened catch limits for albacore.
Overfishing
On the issue of overfishing Pacific Islands are overwhelmingly reliant on fisheries resources at a number of levels including government revenue, food security and employment, he said.
“We simply cannot afford to have key tuna stocks fished unsustainably and FFA members are strongly supportive of remedial management arrangements. In the Pacific, there is an additional challenge not only do we need management measures that deliver sustainable fish stocks we also need measures that promote development opportunities for small island developing States. These opportunities include measures to add value to the resources we own, develop domestic fishing fleets and attract on-shore investment in downstream businesses."
He said this was particularly challenging in an organisation like WCPFC with its large diversity of members, including countries who are among the richest in the world and some of the smallest and most vulnerable economies.
FFA members have tabled a number of proposals to achieve these twin goals and are right now in the midst of negotiating with others for their adoption, he said.
Pacific call
In addition, a strong part of the FFC88 meeting was a Pacific call for the tuna commission to get back to its founding promises.
The FFA governing council of 17 Pacific Island states and territories has reserved to renew efforts to ensure the founding commitments to Small Islands Developing States and sustainable management of tuna stocks are met.
The WCPFC10 meeting is expected to be intense and contentious with many distant water-fishing nations resisting attempts by coastal states to improve the management of tuna resource and reduce big eye tuna mortality. However, the preparation undertaken by Pacific Island governments during FFC88 should place FFA members in a strong position to achieve those outcomes, said the FFA Director-General.