-In response to Kiribati breaking ranks from an eight-member western Pacific fisheries bloc in 2012, the Parties to the Nauru Agreement have issued a strong statement at their annual meeting reconfirming a commitment of all eight members to enforce fishing limits this year.
The PNA’s vessel day scheme has led to a more than doubling of the price paid by distant water fishing nations for access to the ocean zones of the eight member nations where the majority of skipjack tuna is caught in the Pacific. The vessel day scheme is based on a limited number of fishing days that are divided among PNA members. When a country reaches its fishing day limit, it is required to trade for additional fishing days from other members to keep their ocean zones open to fishing. In 2012, Kiribati flouted its limits, which prevented trading of fishing days among the members.
A four-page resolution from the recent meeting in Palau was signed by all eight government ministers attending the meeting, including Kiribati Cabinet Minister Tinian Rhea. The resolution was released Thursday on behalf of the eight country members: Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Nauru, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia and Palau.
The resolution reaffirms the strict application of the vessel day scheme, or VDS, so as to ensure that no Party exceeds its Party Allowable Effort.
Without naming Kiribati, the resolution pointed out that incomplete implementation of the VDS and other agreed management measures undermines the ability of the Parties to realize greater returns from fishery resources.
The resolution said strengthened implementation of the VDS will directly benefit the eight members of the PNA and confirm their role as leaders in tuna management and conservation.
PNA agreed to let Kiribati off the hook based on its agreement to commit to enforcing the VDS this year.
Parties have agreed not to apply the prescribed penalty to one party that significantly exceeded its Party Allowable Effort on the basis of that party’s assurance that the VDS will be fully implemented in 2013 and beyond, the resolution said.
The meeting set a total allowable effort for fishing in 2013 of 45,284 days.
These are divided among the eight members, with Kiribati receiving among the largest share of days because of its rich fishing zone.
Under the vessel day scheme, fishing nations pay $5,000 per day to fish. This PNA agreed to increase the access fee to $6,000 beginning January 1, 2014 tripling the fees paid compared to 2009.
Islands Business International