US forges new tuna deal with the Pacific

Transcript

The US and Pacific island countries have agreed to a new fishing deal. which governs US access to the region's billion dollar tuna fishery.

The deal which will govern US fishing vessels' access to the region's exclusive economic zones has been seven years in the making.

It provides more flexibility for US fishing boats to pick and choose the number and type of fishing access days they want while at the same giving Pacific Island countries more control over their respective EEZs.

The director general of the Forum Fisheries Agency James Movick says the deal is a huge achievement for the region.

The new six year agreement is due to be signed off by the Pacific Island Forum leaders in Pohnpei in August with the intention of having it come into effect in January 2017.

JAMES MOVICK:  In general terms, obviously since it is still subject to ministerial endorsement, but we've crafted is a restructuring of the treaty which now provides for much more flexibility, which allows the Pacific island countries to achieve the prices that they've been looking for for multi-lateral days.  (Days that can be fished in all of the party zones).  As well as it opens up the opportunities for US vessels to secure bilateral licences from each of the member countries depending on their fishing needs and preferences. For the United States part that same flexibility allows, well allows those boats that can't afford or don't need a multi-lateral region wide access arrangement at high prices, to instead secure bilateral days in the zones of greatest interest to them. So that flexibility on both sides is what enabled this to go forward.

KOROI HAWKINS: Sounds like a very amicable agreement is that something fresh or new, I know you have been at loggerheads several times over different issues?

JM: Well amicable, it took a lot of hard work on both sides I must admit. And really we both parties had been under the general view that if we didn't reach an agreement in Auckland this last week then the prospects of being able to continue the treaty would be extremely dismal if not impossible. So the parties came in, in a much more constructive mood as I said worked very hard there were a number of difficult decisions that had to be taken but by and large I think both sides achieved what they needed to secure in terms of key principles and in terms of fair fishing access over the next four to six year period.

KH: What bearing does this have on the early dramatic sort of mix ups earlier this year with the US pulling out of different agreements and what it agreed to pay and then you extending it for I think a year is the current license I think if I am right?

JM: Right, that is correct and that was a major concern that was one of the tricky issues that had to be resolved in this past week. So we sought assurances from the United States on the boats truly being able to make payment. Because we restructured this treaty so boats only have to get the number of days that they think they will need and be able to afford. I think the chances of certainly of large sections of the fleet being able to make payment to renege on their access commitments is diminished. And on our side we have permitted a payment structure that we think is reasonable for the fleet as well as meets our own needs and our desire for security of payment on our side.

KH: Are you able to put any figures to the deal at this stage?

JM: Well I think the specific figures aren't as important at this time Koroi as the principle that this is a fewer number of days than in the previous years it is significantly reduced from the old level of about 8000 days that the US fleet had at multi-lateral region-wide level. That has been reduced down to 3000 and some days and that number of multi-lateral days will continue to decrease through the period of the treaty while the opportunities at the bilateral level are expected to increase. And that is inline with what the Pacific Island parties the members of the PNA VDS ( Parties to the Nauru Agreement Vessel Day Scheme) in particular have been looking for. And it allows the US fleet through this restructuring and  making available both regional or multi-lateral days as well as individual zone access it gives them that flexibility that they have been looking for in terms of affordability and meeting their key fishing interests.

KH: So would you call this like a huge achievement a historic achievement for the region?

JM: I think so I think it has been a major achievement for the region it has restructured the way in which were licensing the US boats, it has allowed us to continue the strategic political relationship between the Pacific and the US on amicable terms and it has very importantly it has reinforced and reaffirmed the commitment to regional solidarity and cooperation that has really underpinned the success of the entire Pacific Island region to date.