Foreign fishing purse seiners could be allowed to resume their activities. (Photo: Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency)

Govt seeks greater returns for tuna industry

The federal government is making efforts to obtain better returns from its tuna resources by linking issued licenses to onshore development, according to Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources officials. 

"So it would no longer be just a license to fish; you must also show that you will be willing to invest on onshore activities such as fish processing," an official said. 

For the last two decades, Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) member countries have only received access fees for their tuna, stated Justin Ilakini, regional economic integration advisor at the agency. 

The proposed marine and industrial park complex in Solomon Islands comprises part of a regional push to maximize returns from the country’s rich tuna resources, he said, reports Solomon Times.

The national government expects that the project, which will be carried out with the help of USD 120 million from Korean investors, will engender 2,000-5,000 jobs in the tuna processing and related industries. Ilakini said that FFA has been helping the Solomon Islands Government to make sure that its agreement with the Korean investors, including Dongwon Industries, will profit the local economy.

"Under the bilateral access agreements most of these boats fish and only present 5 per cent of their catch back to these countries. But with this onshore investment, one of the things that the Solomon Islands government wants to see is to link those vessels to the plant so that the catches are processed on shore," he explained.

Meanwhile, negotiations could be completed in the next week to let foreign purse seine vessels resume fishing in federal waters. Fishing was suspended after the Solomon Islands reached their limit of days for seiner fishing under the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA), said Louisa Hodge-Kopa, Fishery Ministry investment coordinator, reports Radio New Zealand International.

“Because fishing conditions were so good this year in the Solomon Islands, all of our vessel days were used in the earlier part of the year,” Hodge-Kopa commented.

The country is negotiating with another PNA country to buy extra days, she added.

Although the tuna industry generates nearly USD 4 billion dollars per year, less than 6 per cent of this amount, mostly in the form of access fees, goes to benefit Pacific Island economies. 

Related article:

- Waters closed to purse seiners to protect tuna fishery 

By Natalia Real
editorial@seafood.media
www.seafood.media

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