A polynesian fisheries co-operative has been formalised, strengthening the voice of the Southern Pacific members within the Forum Fisheries Agency.
The Te Vaka Moana Arrangement means a closer co-operation between the Cook Islands, New Zealand, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau and Tonga fisheries industries.
The Cook Islands is chairing the group and it's representative, Peter Graham, says the group members currently share EEZ boundaries and the arrangement will strengthen the work already being done.
"It just adds more to it, we then have more information that we can work with and we can be better informed, well it's really just building on the co-operation that we already have. Building capacity where capacity either isn't there or needs to be strengthened."
Peter Graham with the Cook Islands Ministry of Marine Resources.
A similar arrangement to Te Vaka Moana, The Parties to the Nauru Agreement, covers the waters of the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu.
