4 Dec 2017

High stakes for upcoming Pacific tuna commission summit

From , 4:05 pm on 4 December 2017

The future of tuna fisheries management in the region could be at stake this week ( of Dec 4) as the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission meets in the Philippines.

Distant water fishing nations are expected to push for a change to the zone management system employed by island countries, that are Parties to the Nauru Agreement, whose combined exclusive economic zones account for 85 percent of the tuna caught in the region.

Central to this is system is the Vessel Day Scheme by which each country is given a set number of fishing days per year which it can then sell to interested fishing nations.

Koroi Hawkins spoke with PNA chief executive Ludwig Kumoru about the issues ahead of the summit.

Tuna on the deck of a Pacific fishing vessel.

Tuna on the deck of a Pacific fishing vessel. Photo: RNZI/Giff Johnson