Support Our Sustainable Management of Tuna, PNA Tells USA

Support Our Sustainable Management of Tuna, PNA Tells USA

Pacific Islands, 1 June 2011 - Following the withdrawal of Papua New Guinea from the fishing treaty negotiated between the US and the 17 Pacific Islands countries (commonly known as the US Treaty), the eight PNA members stated today that the US, like all other fishing nations, must support the PNA’s sustainable management of tuna.

PNA controls fishing through regulating the number of days fished in the PNA area every year. These fishing days are also traded between countries under the PNA Vessel Day Scheme. Under the US Treaty, the US could have up to 40 vessels of unrestricted size fishing unrestricted catches in Pacific national waters (or EEZs, Exclusive Economic Zones) and high seas for as many days as they like.

Industry from other countries commonly pay $3000 USD or more for a fishing day, and many have also invested substantially in the region creating jobs and local revenue. Their governments separately provide aid and other technical assistance to the region. The US industry only provides a contribution worth $300 for every day they fish a year, with no associated commerce, and an aid total of $18 million USD distributed across 17 countries. Negotiated in the Cold War, when the rights of countries to their EEZs was still new and aid was linked to access to fishing grounds, the US Treaty is now seen as economically disadvantageous by the PNA.

These special arrangements for the US also resulted in large American catches of the unsustainably fished bigeye tuna. It also meant they were not compelled by all the PNA’s high seas closures and other important PNA conservation measures such as the ban on setting on whale sharks. The cessation of the treaty (to officially end in 2012) means that all countries that fish in PNA waters – including the US – can now be brought under common PNA conservation and management measures.

The Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) includes Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu. Collectively, the PNA controls 25-30% of the world’s supply of tuna and cooperate to sustainably manage and develop this key resource.

Many PNA conservation measures are world firsts – such as closure of 4.5 million square kilometers of high seas to fishing and the 100% coverage of purse seine fishing vessels with observers. The PNA was the first group of countries to ban setting of nets on whale sharks and has pushed for a broader regional ban at the regional level.

ENDS

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