Details are under wraps but a meeting just concluded in Nadi, Fiji to discuss an arrangement going forward for Pacific island countries and the United States for fishing has come up with a proposal.
The plan is very important for American Samoa as it determines where US purse seiners that supply the two local canneries, can fish and how much they can fish.
James Movick, Director General of the Forum Fisheries Agency which convened the two day meeting said all 17-member nations of the FFA, referred to in the US Treaty as the Pacific Islands Parties, had engaged in intensive discussions over the last two days.
He said their focus has been to identify options that will achieve the dual goals of allowing the island countries to move forward with an arrangement for the US Treaty for 2016, while also mitigating the financial losses posed by a revision of the 2016 fishing arrangement to meet the US request for fewer fishing days.
Movick said the internal negotiations were difficult, but he’s pleased to advise that the Pacific Island Parties were able to develop a counter-proposal that they strongly believe meets the two objectives.
The proposal, he said, is being forwarded to the US as soon as possible and it would be inappropriate to share the details until they have had an opportunity to consider it as this remains an active negotiation.
The FFA boss commented that Pacific Parties to the Treaty have been very mindful of the urgency of this matter and do not think it is in any Party’s interests for the fleet to remain tied up, and they took this into consideration in preparing a proposal they believe should satisfy the US without the need for any further negotiation.
