(The Jet) Pacific islands are trying to reach an agreement with the United States of America to update a treaty over tuna fishing to conserve stocks.
The current treaty which has been in place for the past 25 years expires next year and negotiations are currently ongoing between the US and Pacific Island States.
US Congressman Eni Faleomavaega says the management of the four-billion dollar tuna industry with the island states needs changes as the current treaty is outdated. Faleomavaega believes a ‘paradigm shift’ has taken place within the tuna industry as the global demands soars.
“I would like to see more resources put towards this end in the regional fishing treaty that is currently being negotiated by the US and regional countries and I’d like to see the current regional tuna fishing treaty that is now being negotiated by the US and other pacific nations are taking note of the difference in the industry,” he said.
The current treaty gives the USA access to the economic zones of the 16 Forum Fisheries Agency nations for a fee currently set at US21 million per year. However, the FFA nations say that in the past year, tuna conservation and management measures have changed in the region.
The islands represented by the Forum Fisheries Agency in the talks are a competing mix of three major interests. It includes the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) group and the non – PNA nations that wants the treaty revamped. Fiji is also part of this multi – lateral fishing treaty.