A fishing company in American Samoa has demanded an investigation into fishing rules, saying United States policies have devastated the industry and not affected the canneries.
Cannery, American Samoa Photo: Supplied
The owner of two US-flagged fishing companies, Douglas Hines, says his boats have been told there's no space to offload fish at Pago Pago and there would be a delay of at least a month.
This is despite tough new fishing restrictions brought in by the US Western and Central Pacific Fishery Commission.
Mr Hines says while the local purse seine boats have been devastated, the canneries are sourcing fish from other international boats.
He says Dongwon Industries, which part-owns StarKist, has used fish caught on the high seas from its South Korean joint-ventures, operating under the Kiribati flag.
Mr Hines says the investigation should probe the ability of the canneries to source fish competitively in the world market, as well as the impacts on the ability of the US fleet to compete.
