The chief executive of Fiji Fish, Russell Dunham, says Pacific governments need to be careful about the number of fishing licenses they grant, if they want to maintain their domestic fisheries industry.
He says Pacific fishing vessels and foreign vessels are simply not operating on the same playing field.
Mr Dunham says many foreign ships, in particular the Chinese fleets, have been given fuel subsidies, making it much easier for them to make a profit.
Mr Dunham says one way Pacific nations can help maintain domestic fleets is be cautious when granting fishing licenses.
Fiji has 67 vessels licensed to fish in its waters, but Mr Dunham says the number should be more around the 50 mark.
"if you can get the vessel numbers down, then the fish becomes worth more, so it'll be profitable you don't need as much fish if the fish price goes up. It's the dynamics on the imports on one side and the price of your fish on the other side. Its important to have a domestic industry, because you look after it and you nurture it and you fight it. You're not interested in just filling your boat up one year and then forget about what's happening in the future, because a lot of foreign fleets are transient."
Russell Dunham says once governments grant licenses, it's very difficult to retract them.
