PNA FAD Ban Leads To Temporary Closure Marshalls Tuna Plantff

Source: Radio NZ

A ban on a fishing technique aimed at conserving tuna has led to the temporary closure of a processing factory in the Marshall Islands.

The Parties to the Nauru Agreement instituted an annual three month ban on the use of fish aggregation devices from July to September as part of measures to reduce catches in the region.

Radio New Zeland correspondent Giff Johnson says Pan Pacific Foods in Majuro has been closed for nearly a month because the supply of fish was down during that period.

He says it’s the first reported downside since the measure was introduced in 2009.

“This is an area that has to be addressed and looked at because the plant employs 400 people and having them out of work for a month isn’t something that the Marshall Islands wants to happen.”

Giff Johnson says the supply of fish is picking up now and the factory expects to resume production in two weeks.

The director of PNA in the Marshall Islands, Transform Aqorau says the month-long closure of a tuna processing plant in the Marshall Islands is not leading to a rethink of the tuna fishing restriction.

In 2009 as part of measures to reduce the tuna catch in the region the Parties to the Nauru Agreement instituted an annual ban on FADs, a fishing technique which attracts large schools of fish.

Transform Aqorau, says the strategy is backed by science.

“We’ve been advised by the scientists that we need to take measures to reduce mortality of big eye tuna because big eye tuna is approaching a state of over exploitation. The response to that has been to put in place a three month prohibition of fishing on FADS because FAD fishing has the biggest impact.”

Transform Aqorau says the ban will extend to four months next year.