Transcript
FELETI TEO: The concentration of discussions this week has been about trying to agree on rebuilding timelines for the bigeye tuna. Having management measures that allows the bigeye tuna stock to be restored to sustainable levels and the same goes with the bluefin tuna.
KOROI HAWKINS: What are the measures that have been proposed?
FT: Well the bluefin tuna issue is a little bit complex. Because it is under the management responsibility of the countries whose waters exist above 20 north latitude and these are mainly the Asian countries and that is where the bluefin tuna grounds are and they have primary responsibility to recommend management measures to the commission. The commission have the ultimate authority to decide. But they need to act on the recommendation of the Northern Committee.
KH: If the Northern Committee or the Asian countries as you say don't put forward any strong management measures does the Commission have a way to override that or is it beholden to what the Northern Committee says?
FT: Well the Commission has the ultimate authority to accept, to approve management measures including management measures that are recommended from the Northern Committee. The recommendations that have been provided by the Northern Committee to the Commission has been discussed over the last few days. There is no consensus around that because there is a strong view from the non-Northern Committee members [Which include Pacific Island countries] that the measures that are being propose are insufficient. So the Northern Committee had to reconvene a special session this morning to reflect on the observations and discussions that the Commission had on the bluefin tuna stock and the promised a report back to the Commission tomorrow morning.
KH: With bigeye what has been discussed in terms of conservation of bigeye?
FT: Well the complication about the bigeye is because it is a multi-fishery stock. It is being caught by longline and it is also being caught, being swooped up by the purse seiners. The Data is also telling us that where there are sets, purse seine set around Fish Aggregating Devices [FADs] that is where most of the juvenile bigeye are being caught. When purse seine operations are done around Fish Aggregating Devices. So one of the management measures that the Commission has agreed to is to impose the FAD free month.
KH: I understand that you have tried to extend these months as part of the increased conservation measures. But there has been some opposition from countries like Tuvalu, who, where most of the fishing in their waters is around FADs and when you ban it, it really cuts into their revenue.
FT: Yes that has been, that has been an issue. And they are also staking a claim that the FAD options are not producing the desired effect because the bigeye catch, despite the FAD closures, is still high. So there is ongoing discussions around the utility of the FAD measures.
KH: On that note what is the Commission's response to criticisms that it is not strong enough or it is weak in terms of reining in the distant water fishing nations?
FT: Well my response is that without the Commission it would have been worse in the high seas. I mean since the Commission came into force there are now the capacity to monitor, obviously there are many boats that don't that are not properly authorised. But at least there are now management measures on the high seas since the commission came into force. From the perspective that if we didn't have the Commission it would be a free-for-all on the high seas. And I think to be fair to the Commission if you compare what has been achieved by the Tuna Commission to other tuna commission's around the globe, we have done very well.
KH: But there is room for improvement?
FT: Absolutely right yes.