15 Dec 2015

FFA cites some success from Pacific's tuna talkfest

8:06 am on 15 December 2015
The director general of the  Pacific Islands Fisheries Forum Agency, James Movick, Tuvalu Minister Elisala Pita  and the Agency's deputy director general Wez Norris.

From right to left: the director general of the Forum Fisheries Agency, James Movick, Tuvalu Minister Elisala Pita and the Agency's deputy director general Wez Norris. Photo: Supplied/ Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency

The Forum Fisheries Agency says last week's Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission meeting produced more successes than failures.

Conservation groups and the Parties to the Nauru Agreement have expressed disappointment over the meeting saying it didn't do enough to protect Pacific fisheries.

The FFA also failed to get a target reference point or a prescribed status and agreed management rules for albacore tuna which was one of their four priorities.

However FFA Deputy Director-General Wez Norris says there were positives that came out of the meeting.

"I think I would describe it as making incremental progress. There were some key issues obviously along the lines of Bigeye Tuna that are growing in urgency but when you like at the adoption of the harvest strategy work plan and the Skipjack target reference point, the improvement of the observer-related issues, the improvement of the compliance monitoring scheme. It definitely represents forward process."

However Wez Norris says the FFA also unsuccessfully proposed a ban on tuna transhipment through the 'high seas pockets'.