Pacific countries will need to confront distant water fishing nations, says FFA director [1]
Saturday, February 15, 2014 - 08:30. Updated on Saturday, February 15, 2014 - 10:54.
Roseti Imo, HE Mr Efstratios Pegidis (centre), and Dr John Hampton, at the Pacific Islands Tunanomics workshop, Noumea, New Caledonia. 10 February 2014.
There is a urgent need for Pacific nations to rise above national agendas and act regionally, to respond effectively to the economic crisis in the Pacific’s albacore long line fisheries, warns the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency Director-General James Movick.
To make this happen FFA members look to work cooperatively with the Pacific Island territories who are not members of FFA but who share the same demise, he said.
“To make this work we will also need to confront distant water fishing nations to reconcile their narrow fishing interests with their broader role as key strategic and development partners of this region,” Movick told regional journalists attending a two day “Tunanomics” workshop in Noumea this week.
“The time has come to step up the conversations around the economics of tuna and what countries, thinking regionally, are prepared to take—and give—so that we, as a region, can protect our fisheries resource, while achieving our economic aspirations.”
As a regional intergovernmental organization, the FFA secretariat would seek direct bilateral opportunities to work with FFA members and other Pacific territorial stakeholders, as well as in their multilateral discussions, he said.
Movick's keynote statement, was delivered by FFA Bio-economist Roseti Imo at the launch of the FFA DEVFISH Tunanomics Pacific Media Initiative, in partnership with the Pacific Islands News Association and Secretariat of the Pacific Community.
Over-fishing
Movick reminded the public that despite warnings of a risk of over fishing, the Pacific Islands Forum Fishery Agency members had not been able to agree on effective management of the southern albacore fishery.
"Our lack of unity and resolve has allowed distant water fishing nations to expand their own fisheries and to favour their own fleets,” he stated.
Movick urged the public and decision makers “to see issues more clearly and objectively . . . So that we, as a region, can protect our fisheries resource, while achieving our economic aspirations."
Crisis
Since 2012, tuna long line fishing vessels, especially the albacore long line fishery had suffered massive losses in profits; vessels had been moored and workers have been laid off.
"Sadly, the brunt of the impact has fallen mainly on the domestic fleets of FFA members,” Movick stated. He pointed out that a few years ago there were warnings of a risk of over fishing by scientists, fisheries managers and even domestic industry stakeholders, but still "FFA members have not been able to agree on a unified regional cooperative framework to effectively manage the southern albacore fishery across its range."
The term “Tunanomics” was an attempt “to ensure that when people are talking about Tuna Fishery, they were fully aware of the factors affecting the economic dependence of Pacific Peoples on the wealth from our oceans.”
The Pacific Ocean's tuna fishery is the biggest tuna fishery in the world today, and the Pacific Islands countries are the principal caretakers of this stock.
He pointed out that because of the reliance of small island economies on tuna fishery to support government revenues and to develop and sustain national economic growth. "That caretaking role prompted Pacific island governments to create FFA in 1979, and their founding aim retains much relevance today – To promote and to assist Pacific Island countries to derive maximum economic benefits from the sustainable harvesting of tuna resources in their EEZs.
Tuna harvest
In 2012, the value of the fishery has been estimated to be 7.2 Billion USD from a total catch of 2.5 million tons of tuna. Members of FFA receive a portion of the returns estimated to be around 8-15% of the value of the catch, an increase from the 5% or less that Pacific Islands countries received before 2010.
He claimed that FFA member countries had successfully improved the value of Pacific Island economies from the harvest of tuna.
During 2012:
- The total volume of tuna harvested in the FFA members' waters was 1.6 million tons of tuna, valued at close to 4 billion USD.
- 100,000 metric tons of catch is processed domestically in FFA countries annually
- Employment in the sector has risen to around 15,000 jobs
- Access fees for foreign fishing boats have increased to 220 million USD
- Gross Domestic Products contributions have also been estimated at 240 million USD.
The launch of the Tunanomics workshop 10-11 February, was attended by Mr Efstratos Pegidis, the new Head of the European Commissions Office for the Overseas Countries and Territories in the Pacific, SPC's Manager for the Oceanic Fisheries Program, Dr John Hampton, and the Pacific Islands News Association President Moses Stevens.