PNG, SI urged to manage tuna

PAPUA New Guinea and Solomon Islands have been urged to continue their efforts for effective management to ensure that tuna stocks are not depleted beyond the recommended catch targets.
Together with other Pacific Island countries and their developing partners in the fisheries industries they must ensure that good governance be maintained for an effective management.
Solomon Islands Foreign Affairs Minister Patteson Oti said this in a statement during the 38th Pacific Islands Form Leaders Meeting in Nuku’alofa, Tonga.
Mr Oti said that two of the key target tuna species of the region, the big eye and the yellow fin, were now on the verge of becoming over fished.
“The current level of fishing efforts on big eye and yellow fin were considered to be unsustainable and the Western Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) Scientific Committee was calling for fishing efforts on both stocks to be reduced,” he said.
Mr Oti also said the benefits of fisheries in the Pacific region, valued in excess of US$2 billion (K5.8 billion) per year, have gone largely to distant water fishing nations including Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, Korea, the US and the European community.
“Furthermore, of more than 1,200 vessels registered on the FFA vessel register, only 194 are flagged to Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) members.
“And of the two million tones caught each year, only around 460,000 tones were taken by the national fleets of FFA members,” he said.
And he urged the Post Forum Dialogue Partners that have fisheries presence in the region to continue to work together in developing management measures that would address the concerns with respect to ‘yellow fin’ and the ‘big eye’ stocks.
Mr Oti said tuna fisheries of the Pacific were an essential economic, social and cultural resource for all forum member countries, and for many, the only significant renewable resource.
He noted that the tuna fisheries in the region was growing and now totals around US$400 million (K1.2 billion) per year, with more of the catch now landed and processed in the region creating jobs and opportunities adding further value to catches.
“With effective management, Pacific Island countries could fulfill their fisheries development aspirations and derive greater share of the economic benefits that flow from fisheries resources,” Mr Oti added.