The American Samoa Governor Togiola Tulafono is negotiating with the federal government to allow locally registered fishing vessels to fish in the exclusive economic zones of independent Pacific island nations.
The governor said that there has been a drop in US fishing vessels fishing in island waters, yet the US government is still paying for licenses to fish in these countries.
The governor says he has already begun negotiations with the US government to qualify long liners and fishing boats from American Samoa to take advantage of the US fishing licenses in the Pacific Forum countries.
The governor is also pursuing the idea of establishing a fisherman's co-operative which would buy fish from local fisherman to sell in overseas markets.
He said Hawaii cannot meet the demand in overseas markets and some of that supply could come from American Samoa
