The fishing rights of the U.S. tuna purse seiner fleet operating from American Samoa, could be under threat because of the refusal by American Samoa to participate in the Pacific Island Countries Free Trade Agreement or PICTA.
The agreement, which has been in effect for just over a week, promotes free trade among island countries by removing all barriers such as import duties, quotas and other tariffs.
The Director of Commerce, Ali'imau Scanlan, says since American Samoa does not have any exports to neighboring countries, the free trade agreement would be a limited value.
But he said many neighboring Pacific Island countries, and the signatories of the trade agreement, already export tons of food, building materials and other products to American Samoa.
He said if American Samoa was to become part of the trade agreement it would lose out on taxes paid by these exporters. But during discussions with a Pacific Forum official, government and business leaders say it was suggested that validity of tuna fishing licenses for US tuna boats operating in the Pacific Island region could be tied to the Free Trade Agreement.