Call to Lessen Donor Dependency in Fisheries

dr-aqorau

The head of the group of island countries which control fishing grounds in the Western and Central Pacific, the Parties to the Nauru Agreement, says sustainable management of fish was key to self-determination for Pacific peoples.

PNA CEO Dr Transform Aqorau challenged leaders attending the Pacific Island Leaders Development Forum Leaders Summit to obtain what he called “true independence” by self determination, Indigenous management of ocean resources, South-South cooperation and ending donor dependency.

He said, “We must manage our ocean resources to promote self determination and not perpetuate dependency on others.

“The PNA has transformed fisheries rights – from a market controlled by the others to a market where rights are firmly held in favor of our members.”

The PNA established the Vessel Day Scheme (VDS) where a set number of fishing days are traded and sold.

Dr Aqorau pointed to how the smallest pacific counttires have benefitted from the scheme.

Tokelau, was getting $900,000 USD a year from foreign fishing vessels accessing their waters.

Now, as part of the PNA, Tokelau has around $10 million a year in revenue from fisheries.

Kiribati for a long time received around $26 million a year and now earns around $200 million USD per year in revenue.

Dr. Aqorau says the PNA Vessel Day Scheme has put power in the hands of island states, but now the Pacific must move away from donor dependency and subserviency to others who end up reaping the benefits from our resources.”

The CEO pointed to the US Treaty as an example of what happens when outside influences come into play.

He said, “The region quibbled over a US grant of just $21 million, a very small amount when you consider the billion dollars worth of tuna resources.

“This is an arrangement we have with the largest superpower in the world, but we need to move away from these kind of arrangements that restrict our benefits and options.”

According to Dr. Aqorau, there were two risks for the leaders to consider – in the region, Pacific countries need to manage natural resources and oceans sustainably, and then there was threat from outside the region of powerful states who wanted to undermine the progress PNA had made so far.

He says, “These threats also come from some of the Pacific countries’ major donors, and in the fisheries context there is often a lack of coherence on what they give as aid and then the restrictions they make on how we use our resources.”

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