Fiji: Tuna Expansion OK, But Only With Local Boatsff

Source: The Fiji Times

The Fiji Tuna Boat Owners Association harvesters of tuna within Fiji’s Exclusive Economic Zone supports the expansion of the Fiji fleet beyond the EEZ.

Association member Grahame Southwick said the expansion must however, be carried out through arrangements with neighboring states or on the high seas.

And the expansion arrangements must be for Fiji boats, and “not foreign highly migratory fleets”, he said.

“If there is to be any expansion of the Fiji fleet and production, it must be where there is space to do this that is, outside the Fiji EEZ,” Mr. Southwick said.

The move to raise the annual tuna quota caught in Fiji’s EEZ from 10,000 tons to 15,000 tons supported evidence pointing to the existing practice of overfishing, association member Grahame Southwick said.

“The Fiji EEZ has never produced more than 10,000 tons of tuna within its EEZ even when it had a virgin, resident stock and foolishly approved 103 licensed boats fishing. So the limit of 15,000 tons is wishful thinking,” Mr. Southwick said.

“It never has, nor ever will be produced within the Fiji EEZ. It was not produced with 40 boats, 60, 80 and 103,” he said.

“We only ever caught 10,000 and as each additional boat was licensed, the individual boat catches fell.  The fact is that if you put 500 boats in, they would still only take 10,000 it’s all we have available within the EEZ,” he added.

His comments follow that of the Fiji Offshore Fisheries Association’s over the annual harvest of tuna within the EEZ and comes on the heel of consultation between stakeholders of the fisheries industry to hone the Fiji Tuna Management Development Plan.

“Excessive effort just adjacent to Fiji which is the current situation can be just as damaging to Fiji as having too many boats inside our EEZ,” Mr. Southwick said.

“If these boats were genuine Fiji boats, there may be some flow on benefit that would warrant this. But they are not. They are all foreign boats that catch the fish and take all the proceeds offshore, giving minimal benefit to Fiji,” he said.

“The whole matter of expansion in the offshore sea surrounding Fiji must be carefully managed as excessive fishing on our western boundary can cause devastation within the Fiji EEZ,” Mr. Southwick added.

Mr. Southwick said the association aimed for better understanding with the Fisheries Department on the matter and were working with them to stabilize the Fiji tuna fishery.