Funafuti, Tuvalu (13 November, 2014) — Tuna conservation, fishing vessel licensing arrangements, and further development of the successful “vessel day scheme” (VDS) that governs purse seine fishing in the central and western Pacific were key points of discussion at the meeting of government ministers from the eight nations that make up the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) 12-13 November, 2014 in Tuvalu.
“The Ministers took action to guide the PNA at next month’s Tuna Commission meeting where we must get the endorsement of members for effective tuna conservation measures,” said PNA CEO Dr. Transform Aqorau. “In addition, the policy decisions to refine the vessel day scheme, address the future of the U.S. fisheries treaty, support expansion of FAD tracking studies, and implement minimum levels of PNA crew on board purse seine fishing boats have prepared PNA for the year ahead.”
In addition to representatives from the eight PNA members, Tokelau attended the meeting at the Ministerial level.
The ministers heard the report of a comprehensive review conducted on the VDS and the results of a preliminary trial on tracking of fish aggregation devices (FADs), calling for more work in both areas. They endorsed PNA and Forum Fisheries Agency proposals for tuna conservation measures that will be put to the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission at its annual meeting 2-6 December, 2014, and called on all members of the Commission “to approach negotiations in good faith to achieve conservation outcomes” — a clear reference to the need for the Commission membership to agree to expanded conservation measures that ensure a reduction in catches of bigeye and yellowfin tuna.
The Ministers welcomed the declared intention of the Cook Islands to participate in the VDS by 2016.
The fisheries treaty with the United States was discussed and the Ministers noted that despite a successful outcome — where the U.S. agreed to pay US$90 million for 8,000 fishing days in PNA waters in 2015 — “the treaty in its current form places significant pressure on VDS participants.” PNA Ministers encouraged the U.S. to give specific consideration to providing a proposal that would form the basis of a more flexible and productive arrangement for the future.
Ministers agreed that new rules requiring minimum levels of PNA crew members on board purse seiners will be implemented in 2016.
The Ministers endorsed Mr. Feleti Teo of Tuvalu for the Commission Executive Director position and Ms. Rhea Moss-Christian of the Marshall Islands for the Chairmanship of the Commission. Both positions are on next month’s Commission annual meeting agenda. The Ministers also extended the contract of Dr. Transform Aqorau for one year to allow more time for transition to a new CEO. Dr. Aqorau has headed the PNA office in Majuro since it was established in 2010.
Other decisions and key points of discussion at the Ministers meeting in Tuvalu included:
• Ministers discussed a range of proposals to improve the transparency of the VDS, including providing public access to a range of information on some of the key elements in the VDS, placing the VDS Vessel register on the PNA website to encourage identification of vessels operating in the region that are not on the Register, and allowing relevant flag states access to the PNA information system so that they can exercise more effective control over their flag vessels.
• Ministers directed officials to continue to work with the European Union to better understand their requirements and to develop options accordingly.
• Ministers agreed to amend existing PNA arrangements to guide accession of Forum Fisheries Agency members who are not Party to the Nauru Agreement. “This would provide the opportunity for a considered approach to the conditions that any new participant would be subject to, including the implementation of other measures adopted by PNA,” said the communiqué from the meeting.
• Ministers agreed that “once the outcomes of the independent review of the VDS have been endorsed and implemented, there may be a need to strategically review PNA’s engagement with WCPFC on matters of tropical tuna conservation.”
• PNA members were given additional time, to 31 December 2014, to notify PNA of the number of days they will contribution to the Federated Sates of Micronesia Agreement, under which a number of purse seine vessels receive concessionary licenses for fishing in PNA waters. Because of the challenge in getting days contributed to a FSMA pool, Ministers agreed that if no specific pool of days can be identified, then FSMA vessels will only operate using days provided by their Home Party, with a fishing day payment of $4,000 being made to the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) where fishing occurs, unless alternative arrangements are agreed by the Parties.
• A minimum level of PNA crew on foreign vessels licensed to fish in PNA countries will come into effect in 2016, with a waiver fee charged for any boats unable to meet these minimum requirements.
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Note to editors:
The Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) are eight Pacific Island countries that control the world’s largest sustainable tuna purse seine fishery supplying 50 percent of the world’s skipjack tuna (a popular tuna for canned products). They are Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu.
PNA has been a champion for marine conservation and management, taking unilateral action to conserve overfished bigeye tuna in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean, including closures of high seas pockets, seasonal bans on use of Fish Aggregating Devices (FAD), satellite tracking of boats, in port transshipment, 100 percent observer coverage of purse seiners, closed areas for conservation, mesh size regulations, tuna catch retention requirements, hard limits on fishing effort, prohibitions against targeting whale sharks, shark action plans, and other conservation measures to protect the marine ecosystem.
For more information, contact Dr. Transform Aqorau, CEO, PNA Office, on email: transform@pnatuna.com or by phone, (692) 625-7626.