The American Samoa Fisheries Task Force says the territory needs to make more noise with the federal government over the lack of fishing access for local US tuna boats.
A Task Force member Archie Soliai says 80 percent of the fish processed by StarKist Samoa and Samoa Tuna Processors is from US purse seiners.
But with limits on the fishing days provided by Kiribati and US federal limits on fishing the high seas, Mr Soliai says the US tuna boats have been forced to go elsewhere. to fish.
"What that means is that the US purse seine fleet that previously was fishing in these waters and bringing their fish to American Samoa are now forced to fish in other waters and they are now taking their fish to Asia - Thailand, Indonesia, wherever it is more economical for them."
