The head of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement fisheries bloc says the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission needs to focus on controlling fishing on the high seas when the multi-national body meets in Fiji December 5-9 .
Ludwig Kumora said, “The Tuna Commission (WCPFC) needs to be concerned with non-compliance with fishing rules on the high seas.”
American Samoa’s representatives at the meeting will be led by Director of Marine and Wildlife Resources Dr. Ruth Matagi-Tofiga and they will be part of the US delegation.
A main concern of the island resource owners is the current state of largely uncontrolled longline fishing on the high seas, said Kumoru.
“We need the WCPFC to focus on its core mandate, which is regulating fishing on the high seas,” he said.
“Currently there is virtually no control on longline fishing, most of which takes place on the high seas.”
He said a ban on transshipment of tuna at sea and requiring fishing boats to offload in port — a proposed requirement for longline vessels — has been discussed repeatedly at the WCPFC without action.
“This would go a long way to controlling fishing on the high seas,” Mr. Kumoru said.
He added that this would help establish data on the number of longliners active in the region, and improve the availability of catch data needed by scientists to assess the condition of tuna stocks.
Mr. Kumoru said PNA is now implementing a vessel day scheme for longliners as has been successfully used to manage the purse seine fishery. But enforcing rules on the high seas is critical to the long-term health of the fishery, he said.
