Need to protect American Samoa tuna canneries

Transcript

The governor of American Samoa, Lolo Matalasi Moliga, says the number one priority for the administration is to protect the two canneries in the territory.

Concerns were raised following reports on the dwindling tuna albacore stock at the meeting of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, or Tuna Commission.

Also worrying for the territory has been the 2015 South Pacific US Tuna Treaty and a planned fish loining plant set to open in neighbouring Samoa.

Leilani Momoisea reports.

US tuna boats that supply the canneries say the 2015 South Pacific US Tuna Treaty is troubling, because while the cost of licences have gone up, fishing days have been reduced considerably. Earlier this year, local longline owners also complained of how difficult it is to catch fish, and the price of fish dropping. The governor was briefed on the Tuna Commission's failure to do something about the economic impact on the domestic fleet, and the lack of action taken to try and preserve albacore stock. This prompted concerns about possible effects of the delivery of fish to the canneries, and Governor Lolo directed deparment officials to become more pro-active.

LOLO MATALASI MOLIGA: American Samoa should not be left out, we should have a voice in that decision making process when it comes to ocean resources and so forth...as far as we are concerned, our number one priority is to protect the two canneries that we have, that's probably half of our economic base.

A purse seiner owner who has been supplying fish to the local canneries since the 1980s says there are just too many boats fishing in a small area, with limited fish stocks. 300 purse seiners and 4,000 longliners are currently licensed to fish in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean. Ricardo Da Rosa, the general manager of Pacific Princess Partnership Ltd, says the number of fishing boats needs to be reduced while fishing grounds should be opened up, not restricted, as has been done under the 2015 South Pacific US tuna Treaty.

RICARDO DA ROSA: For the fleet, the problem that we're going to run into is the lack of areas, like I'm talking about people are closing areas, and I personally think that's a terrible idea for the stock. It makes it difficult for the boats in Pago, and a lot of them, I hate to say it but a lot of them will probably move and stop delivering there because the areas around there are closing. We don't want to, but that's the thing, boats can move, and the island can't.

Meanwhile, the owners of the territory's new cannery, Samoa Tuna Processors, are keeping a close eye on a planned fish loining plant in Samoa. The chief operating officer of Tri Marine International, Joe Hamby, says they don't expect the Samoa plant operating capacity to be that great, but it still poses a concern.

JOE HAMBY: I'm actually quite concerned that we'll have issues with competing against that plant which is being subsidised by the government. It's going to be in a place where they don't have the United States Coastguard enforcing regulations on the boats that call in Pago. That's an advantage that Apia has.

Our correspondent, Monica Miller, who attended the Tuna Commission meeting, says the big issue is that supply cannot keep up with demand.

MONICA MILLER: So you have this second cannery open up next year, and there's a question as to whether there will be a good supply, a steady supply of fish year round. Where is all this fish going to come from to supply all these different canneries?

She says Governor Lolo also said the United States needed to consult with American Samoa when it comes to fishery policies, so that agreements made do not go against the territory's interests.