4 Sep 2012

American Samoa signs with the Cook Islands on fisheries collaboration

9:22 pm on 4 September 2012

American Samoa's Governor has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the government of the Cook Islands pledging mutual cooperation in the development, management and conservation of fisheries.

Togiola Tulafono signed the MOU for his territory while in the Cook Islands where he attended last week's Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting.

The Cook Islands Ministry of Marine Resources has also announced that it will begin shipments of albacore tuna to the Starkist Samoa cannery in American Samoa.

The tuna will be processed under the label "Cook Islands Golden Tuna" for the Cook Islands and Asia markets.

American Samoa has also agreed to work with the Cook Islands on a number of fronts, including a South Pacific albacore management regime, and the exchange of fisheries related information and research.