Transcript
The director general of the Forum Fisheries Agency, Manu Tupou-Roosen, says they are really pleased that they managed to maintain the existing Tropical Tuna Measure.
It is considered essential to the sustainable management of the tuna fisheries.
The chief executive of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement, Ludwig Kumoru, says going into the meeting the Americans had been pushing to harvest more fish.
"But they agreed not to push that element to increase catch and also the Hawaiian fleet was proposing to increase their catch by another 1,000 metric tonnes, but that has been put off too. Science is saying that big eye is OK but some of us still think these results just came last year, let's give it some more time to really see what is going on."
Another important conservation measure, limits on the use of fish aggregating devices, or FADs, by purse seiners in exclusive economic zones and the high seas areas between 20°N and 20°S for a three month period from period from July 1st, remains in place.
As well, there is an additional two-month prohibition on FAD use on the high seas.
There is also going to be work done to properly define a FAD, because at the moment any floating object in the ocean can be considered a FAD.
Mr Kumoru says there has also been progress in trying to get control over transshipping.
Both Pacific agencies want transshipping to be done in port so that the practice can be properly monitored.
Mr Kumoru says at the moment it is very difficult to see what is happening on the high seas.
"There is very little supervision on what's going on. So there have been proposals that we should have observers, even on the carrier boats. With the carrier boats you can see whatever boat comes into contact. So there has been, I think, a positive way forward and then we can make some decisions on that too. There is general agreement that we should put transshipment under control now."
While the Pacific agencies expressed their delight with the outcomes, I suggested to the World Wide Fund for Nature's Bubba Cook, who was an observer at the meeting, that the decisions amount to a holding pattern on key issues.
"That is true with respect to tropical tunas but what we did see for instance is some very good initiatives move forward, particularly with respect to establishing a target reference point with respect to South Pacific Albacore, which by doing so it allows us to now look at some of the other stocks and establishing similar limits for those stocks, particularly big eye and yellow fin."
Bubba Cook says there was a desire to reach consensus which hasn't been there in the past and this was reflected in a resolution to improve crew welfare.
Mr Cook says with exposure in the media there has been much more focus on crew abuse on fishing vessels.
And he says the Pacific sees it as not only addressing an issue of justice but also encouraging more Pacific Islanders to become crew.
"Go to Suva harbour and you see some of the longline vessels from China and Chinese/Taipeh that are heavily rusted, heavily listing. They are floating death traps and who would want to work on one of those vessels. So by raising the standard throughout the Pacific, and throughout the world for that matter, we are creating employment opportunities for others in the Pacific Islands as well."
The Commission members also agreed to provide money for a Special Requirements Fund, to help boost participation of Small Island Development States in its decision-making processes.