Islands Business - Fisheries: A NEW WAVE IN REGIONAL FISHERIES

What the PNA agreement means

Anouk Ride

Albacore being loaded on to a container in Samoa. Pic: Dev Nadkarni

Since the Parties to the Nauru Agreement signed a Third Implementing Arrangement which among other measures include restricting fishing in the high seas and 100% observer coverage of purse seine vessels, there has been a lot of talk in the media about a new wave in regional fisheries management.

Some stated this arrangement was a long overdue example of Pacific countries defying the bigger distant waters fishing nations, for others it was a victory for the environment and for some it was a boom for small scale fishers.

Some commentators applauded members for taking action in regional interest while others saw the move as a clear statement of national sovereignty over the seas. And the list of interpretations goes on, and on.

However for the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), a 17-member regional organisation, this act of regional cooperation was less surprising and less easy to describe in a slogan.

It was the culmination of an increase in national capacity and regional solidarity which is enabling Pacific members of FFA to make critical decisions.

It also comes as leaders recognise that fishing conservation and management measures are not a competition between national and regional interests—in fact decisions can be made which address the needs of both.

What is new in the PNA’s latest arrangement has grown from what is old.

As such, it stands as a test case for how much the countries involved have learnt from experience of international politics, fishing management and development decisions and the operationalising of these.

For example, while the arrangement had international attention because of its measures in relation to the high seas, in fact the precedents for this have been building over the history of FFA in supporting member management of their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs).

In fact the FFA Harmonised Minimum Terms and Conditions of Foreign Fishing Vessel Access (MTCs) included a condition to record high seas catch data from vessels from the early 1990s.

PNA’s 2nd Implementing Arrangement signed by PNA Ministers in Palau in 1990 had provisions for the prohibition of transshipments at sea (including high seas) as well as high seas catch reporting and maintenance of logbooks.

The Harmonised MTCs were revised and approved by FFC59 in Majuro in June 2005, but they were already in existence prior to 2005 and known as the Minimum Terms and Conditions for Foreign Fishing Vessels Access, as far back as 1991.

The Palau Arrangement which was concluded in 1992 covered areas adjacent to the EEZs of the parties
So not only does the Pacific countries have some experience in applying measures to the high seas as a condition of fishing in their EEZs but MTCs came into effect some time ago.

Still, the 3rd Implementing Arrangement is somewhat a test case for the new fisheries environment where the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) meets and makes binding decisions on what Conservation and Management Measures (CMMs) to apply to tuna resources in the vast West and Central Pacific Ocean.

How the WCPFC responds to initiatives like the PNA’s decisions to the high seas will influence the future direction of Pacific Islands involvement in the decision-making of the commission.

The 100% observer coverage of purse seine vessels (all foreign vessels under bilateral arrangements with PNA members) also raised some interest from commentators around the region.

There are 150 operational observers across FFA members. The information they gather from their catch and effort reports are cross-checked with data about length of fish caught, a vessel activity report (provided by the vessel operator) and the Vessel Monitoring System which monitors movements through and Automatic Location Communicators.

Care is taken to ensure Pacific Islanders are the bulk of the observer staff in the region. Key elements of the work such as objectivity are reinforced in training and recruitment.

With six FFA observer trainings being held this year to increase capacity further and more scheduled for next year observer numbers are increasing over the region.

An implementation strategy and further discussions will set out a timeline for exactly when the 100% observer coverage will come on line and what the needs and member usage rates are for observers.

However the information observers provide must be actioned by compliance officers and the onus is on each member to action any non-compliance.

These and other questions of implementation of the PNA 3rd Implementing Arrangement will be discussed in detail further as parties meet in the lead-up to the next WCPFC meeting in December and beyond.

FFA is coordinating subregional workshops so that all its 17 members have information and informal discussions to prepare for their participation in the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) and at its next meeting in December in Korea.

The workshops are an important part of FFA’s ongoing efforts to increase national capacity and strengthen regional solidarity so that member countries can manage their fisheries for the benefit of people today and for future generations.

• Anouk Ride is FFA’s Media and Publications officer. For further information, she can be contacted by email anouk.ride@ffa.int for further information.