The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community have signed the MOU. (Photo: SPC/FIS)

SPC urges regional unity in fisheries management

NEW ZEALAND
Tuesday, September 06, 2011, 23:30 (GMT + 9)

Director General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) Dr Jimmie Rodgers has called for regional unity in fisheries management. He stated a need for Asian, American and European fishing interests to connect with the entire region rather than with individual countries so that everybody wins.

He noted that three Pacific countries are already making bilateral deals with European interests, and this underscores the need to maintain common positions, particularly from the island nations belonging to the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA).

At the Pacific members of the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) meeting in Auckland this week, talks with the European Union (EU) have proved complicated due to differing regional opinions on the role of the ACP Secretariat and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS). The issues of Rules of Origin and global sourcing for fresh and frozen fish is a key objective of some Pacific islands, while major players like Papua New Guinea want to keep exporting to Europe.

Port Moresby has inked and ratified an interim Economic Partnership Agreement with Europe in the absence of an inclusive regional deal, and the European Commission (EC) and PNG government are now exploring the implications of sustainable global sourcing under that agreement.

Meanwhile, Pacific ACP countries might not want to re-negotiate the “global sourcing” concession under its rules of origin provision offered by the EU, reports Islands Business.

Regarding bigeye tuna, the regulation of overfishing plus unsustainable practices for other target species are further complicated by illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Through PNA, Pacific island countries have agreed on several measures for sustainable tuna stock management, including high seas closures, controls on Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) and 100 per cent coverage of purse seine fishing vessels with observers.

Climate change is also being discussed. The SPC Director-General said changes to marine ecosystems in coming decades will impact the potential revenues from the use and management of marine resources.

“One of the critical things that is coming out of climate research is that the tuna stocks are going to migrate eastwards within the next ten to twenty years. Now most of the canneries are in the western Pacific so there’s going to be opportunities for countries in the east to do more value-adding activities with their tuna fisheries,” he explained.

The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) is taking advantage of the meeting also to defend itself against criticism regarding a lack of results in the development of fisheries and other areas, ONE News reports.

Meanwhile, Pacific Island leaders today witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by the Chief Executive Officers of two key intergovernmental technical agencies, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the SPC.

“The MoU will enable both the SPREP and SPC to together deliver more effectively on addressing the issues affecting our region in a long-term sustainable manner,” said David Sheppard, SPREP Director. “SPREP views this agreement as an opportunity to further mainstream environmental considerations in sustainable development planning for the region.”

The deal goes into effect immediately.

Related articles:

- Deal signed with SPC to monitor tuna stocks 
- EU helps Pacific countries develop global role 

By Natalia Real
[email protected]
www.seafood.media

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