The director general of the Forum Fisheries Agency has called for continued unity in managing the Pacific's tuna industry.
James Movick's call follows some countries in the region questioning the future of the industry given the inclusion of French Pacific territories into the Pacific Islands Forum.
It has been suggested the Parties to the Nauru Agreement, or PNA, which represents eight countries in whose waters the majority of the region's tuna are found, should take the lead.
But Mr Movick told Koroi Hawkins PNA members are already shaping the management of tuna stocks in the region.
James Movick
Photo: FFA
Transcript
JAMES MOVICK:That is there prerogative but I would sugges that number one, without strong regional unity and support we are all weakened. All of the subregional fisheries at the end of the day the Pacific Island blocs work better when we work as a single group as much as possible. Reconciling any differences we have as possible within our normal decision making processes. But if we were all to split up then you have smaller groups and that makes our effectiveness in both the WCPFC and in the broader international fisheries forum landscape much more difficult for us to achieve. We have gotten this far through being able to reconcile our various differences and find ways to always move forwards. So I would think it is not something that would be taken lightly.
KOROI HAWKINS: Yes and are there any positives obviously that is one you have just mentioned but are there any positives to the French Territories now coming into the Pacific Islands Forum and the FFA as a result of that?
JM: Well one would hope so. We already are able to, I mean we cooperate very closely with France and with French Polynesia and New Caledonia in MCS [Monitoring Control and Surveillance] activities. France is a very important partner in regional MCS activities as one of the so called Quad [United States, Australia, New Zealand, France]. And so we would see that continuing and hopefully strengthened that could be strengthened further. I suppose, you know already their management practices inside their exclusive economic zones are basically aligned with those of the the FFA member countries. So perhaps their membership of the forum would make that alignment both clearer and more broadened. You know that they would be able to take those positions consistently at the WCPFC as well as in International Fora where they have access. Or be able to influence French thinking and thereby influence EU thinking. You know it is a decision that leaders have made this is the point. It is a decision that leaders have made and so there is a linkage between membership in the Forum [Pacific Islands Forum] at the present time there is a clear linkage between membership in the Forum and the right to accede to the FFA conventions. So that is the issue that we have to try to understand better and perhaps seek to clarify.
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