Fisheries in the Pacific

Valérie Allain et al.
At the subregional level, two key organisations develop management measures:
• The Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) is an organization composed of 17 PICT
members 31 with a common fisheries interest in the Pacific Ocean region. FFA strengthens
national capacity and regional solidarity through technical assistance and other support to
its members. The member countries make sovereign decisions about their tuna resources and
participate in regional decision making on tuna management through agencies such as the
WCPFC, the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) and the new Tokelau Arrangement.
FFA not only helps its members implement WCPFC and subregional management measures,
it also helps them draft management measures for wider adoption within that Commission,
including requiring action compatible with national measures to be taken on the high seas.
FFA provides advice on options for fisheries development, including facilitating investment
in onshore facilities such as processing plants. FFA also facilitates bilateral and multilateral
negotiations between its members and foreign fleets, particularly regarding the US purse
seine fleet.
• The PNA is comprised of eight tropical countries, a subset of the FFA membership: the
Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New
Guinea, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu. The territory of Tokelau is also an active member
of the PNA Vessel Day Scheme (VDS), and conforms with the implementing arrangements
of the Nauru Agreement. Around 75% of the WCPO skipjack catch is caught in
the waters of these countries. As a group, the PNA aims to sustainably manage the purse
seine fishery, primarily using the VDS. The VDS sets the total number of purse seine
fishing days 32 per year within PNA waters, covering the PNA members’ combined EEZs.
The total number of days is determined based on scientific advice from the Scientific
Committee of the WCPFC about the status of the tuna stocks and management objectives.
The number of days is allocated amongst the Parties for 12-month periods based on the
proportion of tuna and the number of vessel days fished in the waters of each of the
Parties. Each country can then sell these days to fishing companies/nations at a minimum
benchmark price or higher. In this way, Pacific Islanders gain direct economic benefits
and contribute to the sustainable management of the tuna resource. Examples of management
measures taken by the PNA, and subsequently incorporated into WCPFC CMMs,
include bans on FAD sets by purse seiners during specific months of the year, and full
tuna catch retention. The PNA has also led work on developing a target reference point
for WCPO skipjack tuna. A PNA vessel day scheme for longline vessels has recently
been agreed and is in the process of being implemented.
31. Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru,
New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu,
Vanuatu.
32. In 2015, the PNA total allowable effort was 44,623 days for purse seine fishing within their EEZs.
One purse vessel fishing during a day represents one day and two vessels fishing during the same day
represent two days.
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