Tag Archives: Parties to the Nauru Agreement
Ex-Parties to the Nauru agreement CEO says fish money wont last
Members of the Parties to the Nauru agreement are reaping large returns off fishing vessel licenses but the PNA says the windfall won’t last forever. The eight member countries of the PNA and Tokelau employ a vessel day scheme which charges foreign ships at least US$8,000 a day to fish in their waters. High demand for the limited number of fishing days has sparked a bidding war between companies with some paying as much as US$16,000 per day. The outgoing CEO of the PNA, Transform Aqorau, said the demand reveals the value that could be obtained from fisheries but it would not last forever. Dr Aqorau also adds those who want to change the vessel day scheme should think carefully. Read the rest here 11:58
American Samoa: It’s happening, purse seiners are tying up
At least 14 US purse seiners out of 37 that are licensed to fish under the US South Pacific Tuna Treaty are idling their operations following a directive from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) that all US vessels in the Western Pacific Ocean under the Treaty are to cease operations as of December 31st. That prohibition is to remain in effect until the Pacific Island Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), issues licenses for 2016, which hinges on a new agreement with the Parties to the Nauru Agreement. Read the article here 10:29
US tuna boats could lose licenses on January 1st
The chief executive of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement says the US tuna fleet has till the end of the month to pay up or lose its fishing license. Transform Aqorau says under the vessel day scheme agreement the fleet has to pay US$17 million dollars per quarter for fishing days but it may come up short for its payments for the first quarter of 2016. Mr Aqorau says the shortfall is an internal issue stemming from the Pago Pago based fleet of fishing vessels which have taken on more days than they can afford. Read the article here 18:48
The Tuna Cartel? – Pacific fishery group imposes sanctions on distant water fishing nations
Pacific islands that want to expand domestic commercial fisheries operations are threatening distant water fishing nations with sanctions for blocking their fisheries development. The PNA (Parties to the Nauru Agreement) is a bloc of eight nations — Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Nauru, Tuvalu, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau — that control waters where about 50 percent of the global supply of skipjack tuna is caught.,, “will begin to collectively use the strong bargaining power that PNA can exercise as a coherent group.” Minister Pita Elisala Read the rest here 13:58
Pacific fishing nations warn more price rises ahead
Pacific nations have warned foreign fishing countries, including the United States, to expect more price hikes to the cost of fishing in their territorial waters. The nations that makeup the have told disgruntled nations that they will raise the daily fishing rate from $US6,000 to $US8,000 per boat from next January. It will raise their total income to around $370 million. Read more here 09:17
Optimism for deal to lower Pacific tuna catches
Eight Pacific island nations, members of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement, along with Japan and the Philippines, want to reduce the catch of bigeye and yellow fin tuna over the next four years. But objections from the “distant water” fleets meant a modified proposal was now being worked on, said Brian Hallman, executive director of the American Tunaboat Association, which represents about 40 US-flagged purse seine fishing vessels. “At this stage, there is not a clear consensus on a solution which would be acceptable to all members,” Hallman said. [email protected] 08:45
