Pacific nations urged to use scheme to manage and conserve fishery

THE nine members of the Parties to Nauru Agreement have been urged to use the vessel-day scheme to manage and conserve their fishery.
PNA chief executive officer Ludwig Kumoru said ministers had urged their members to do this when they met during a three-day annual meeting which ended last Friday.
The ministers had recognised the successful implementation of the purse seine scheme, the development of the longline vessel-day scheme, and the progress in branding and vertical integration through the Marine Stewardship Council and the Pacific marketing joint venture.
“Reports on trends in tuna catches in PNA waters confirmed that the VDS is effectively controlling the number of purse seine vessels and promoting growth in domestic fleets,” he said.
He said Pacific tuna resource owners sent a strong message of their commitment to conserving and managing tuna resources, while increasing economic benefits for the nine islands that use the globally-recognised scheme to manage their fishery.
Kumoru said fishing for tropical tuna stocks occurred mainly in the waters of the PNA members and Forum Fisheries Agency members.