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(ii) The requirernent for larga cxpenoive verrala An avarage (100 tonne) pole-nd-line a
longline veeael, used in the disten!-water firherieg of the central and wartern prcific,
now has a reptacenrent value of ryproximately USf2rfl)0rfl)0; en everage Unitcd Statce
tuna purse-seiner of I,100 tons costs approximalely USfllr00rfi)0 to build and elmoat
$l'm0'm0 per ennum to run. Few developing ielani nationi can afford anch axpencee.
Small states generally do not heve suiteble slipping srd docking facilitiee for larger
fishing vessels, nor do they carry extensive stocks of sparJ parta and enciltiry
equirncnt.
(iii) Cct and availebility of fuel In 1976, it cost ryproximately Ail40,0O0 per ennum for
fuel for a 150 tonne pole-and-line vessel, Al100rm0 fur a 276 tonne'longliner and
A$240'm0 for a I,100 ton purse-seiner. The fuei costs for any me of these vessela
exceed.the entire national fuel bill for 1977 for each of two of the Island etateg of the
South Pacific (Tuvalu and Niue) and represent a substantial fraction of the fuel
consunption of several others. Fuel pricee have increased dramatieally eince 1976. Fuel
is not only becoming more expensive, but is also difficult to obtain in exectly the
quantities required to zupply a srnall number of veesels, which are rcfuelled m an
inegular basis, making it difficult for any non-oil producing country to plan the
development of fisheries which will necessitate cJbstantiel increases in fuel
consunption.
Fuel is also far more expensive in rernote area8. This makes it dieadvantageous for
foreign flag vessels to b,r.rnker there and hence difficult for smell statea to encourege
these vessels to call and unload their catch. It also ffEans that Island states have an
extra economic disadvantage lo contend with when catching fish to sell on en
internationally competitive market.
(iv) Problemo of smellners and econqnieg of scal,a. There are many probbma of srnallness
and economies of scale relevant to fisheries developnnnt in the Pacific Islandg. These
have been covered in previous publicationer e.g, Kearney 1900.
The inability of at least some small Island states to cope with these and other problems
might zuggest pessimism for their future in tuna fisheriea. This is gertainly not intended. The
rnagnitude of the problems does suggest that some Island states will find it imposaibb to
develop wholly owned, large scale tuna enterprises, h.rt it des not et all detrect from the
countriesl potential to develop small scale tuna fisheries, or joint venture qerations in whieh
they have limited equity, or to generate considerable revenue from the activitiea of foreign
vessels in their fishing zones.
As the tuna resources are generally underexploited, there is obviouely potential for
increasing eatches by srbsistence or artisanal fishermen. This potential is being further
increased throughout the region by adapting nndern technology, zuch es fish aggregation
devices, to small scale fisheries. The success of joint venture or co-qeralive tun-a fishing
ventutes' such as those in Solomon Islands and Fiji, endorses the potential such arrangementi
have for further developnrents. Finally, the magnitude of the velue of catcireg by
distant-water fishing fleets in the 200-mile zones of coastal stetes, in some cases having
fresh fish values greater than the gross national product of the country from whose watere
they are taken (Kearney l98la), coupled with the increased rights of coastal states in the
new regime of the Law of the Sea, cleanly demonstrabe t}te potential for Island states to
generate significant tevenue from foreign fishing interests, particularly if realistic access
fees can be negotiated.