US inks deal with 10 Tuna Treaty signatories
A MEMORANDUM of Understanding on fishing access arrangements for 2024 under the South Pacific Tuna Treaty was signed yesterday by the US and 10 of the treaty’s signatories, member countries of the Pacific Island Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA).
The treaty provides for access by US-flagged purse seine vessels to fish for tuna in the EEZs of the Pacific Islands parties, including Fiji, in exchange for access fees paid by the US fishing industry and the provision of fisheries development assistance by the US government.
It had expired last year and is currently being rolled over for another 10 years.
Under yesterday’s MoU, US fishing fleet will continue fishing in the Pacific EEZs this year while the formal adoption of the agreed amendments and revised text of the treaty for 2025 onwards are being worked out.
FFA director general Dr Manu Tupou-Roosen said the increased funding support from the US through the treaty was timely given the “ongoing economic challenges and dealing with the environmental impacts of climate change that are all too real in the Pacific region”.
The US government had tripled its numbers in 2022, increasing its assistance under the treaty from $US21million ($F47m) annually to $US60m ($F135.6m).
“The Tuna Treaty is a cornerstone in our relationship with the United States,” Dr Tupou-Roosen said at the launch of the MOU.
The revised treaty package provides for the new $US60million a year funding by the US government for the next 10 years (2023-2033) and a further amount to be paid by the US fishing industry, for which signing will take place later this year.
The US government also bundled in an additional $US10m ($F22.5m) in 2023 for economic development and climate change related projects, to be distributed equally to the Pacific Island parties.
Ten of the 17 parties to the treaty signed yesterday while seven parties will sign the MOU later.
The Pacific parties include Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.