The Parties to the Nauru Agreement have this week considered how to make their vessel day scheme for distant water tuna fishing nations more transparent.
Photo: RNZ / Philippa Tolley
The VDS is both a conservation measure and a major source of fishing income for the member countries - the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu.
Don Wiseman has more.
"At this week's meeting in Tuvalu the members discussed better transparency of the VDS. This may include improved public access, including to website details of the VDS registered vessels, and ensuring flag states can access PNA information to more effectively control their vessels. The PNA ministers also called on members of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, meeting next month in Samoa, to approach negotiations on conservation measures in good faith. Both the PNA and the Forum Fisheries Agency want expanded conservation measures to cut catches of bigeye and yellowfin. The PNA ministers endorsed Feleti Teo, the current head of the Pacific Islands Development Forum, to become the Commission's executive director. They also agreed on new rules that from 2016 purse seiners must have a minimum number of crew from PNA nations."
