Ministerial Conference on
Environment and Development
in Asia and the Pacific 2000
Kitakyushu, Japan 31 August - 5 September 2000
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Success on the high seas Facing regional threats from outside sources. Throughout the world, fishing nations have fought politically and militarily over fishing rights on the high seas. The Pacific sub-region, in a bid to create a sustainable high seas fishing industry, has developed one of the most successful political and scientific fisheries alliances in the world. The twenty year effort was conducted under the overall guidance of the Forum Fisheries Agency, with the scientific collaboration of the Secretariat for the Pacific Community, the political will of 16 Pacific island nations, the participation of the largest fishing nations in the world, and the private fishing industries of those countries (Cartwright 1996). The Western and Central Pacific (WCP) tuna fishery is now the largest in the world, and has contributed to the rapid growth of fish products over the last 40 years. Current statistics show that tuna stocks in the region are generally in good health, but this situation is predicted to change if fisheries are harvested without adequate regulation. Because the tuna migrate over large oceanic distances, and span the borders of many countries, effective regulation means cooperation between all of the coastal states as well as the distant water fishing nations in the Western Central Pacific. Otherwise, the benefits of regulations in one country could be undone by unregulated fishing in another country or in international waters.
The Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea gave each country the right to develop…’measures for the exploration, exploitation, management and conservation of the living resources of the sea’ within Economic Exclusive Zones (EEZ’s) extending 200 nautical miles from their coastlines. The small island developing states of the Pacific were enthusiastic signatories to the Law of the Sea but had neither the financial nor human capacity to meet the terms of the agreement. The South Pacific Forum founded the South Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) to represent the interests of all its members in ’the conservation and optimum utilisation of the living marine resources of the South Pacific, and in particular of the highly migratory species’ (FFA Convention, 1979). The FFA represents The Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Samoa, Australia and New Zealand. The FFA works in partnership with the Oceanic Fisheries Programme of the Secretariat for the Pacific Community (SPC). Together the two agencies collect and process statistical information about the oceanic fish stocks. Scientists, using the data processing facilities at the SPC provide the necessary information to determine the optimum sustainable yield from an economic and a biological perspective. The high quality of this data has played an essential role in smoothing the negotiation process because all parties accept the results as an accurate, factual base for regulating fishing efforts. The FFA has been remarkably successful in promoting regional cooperation for the sustainable development of high seas fisheries. The first step was to establish inviolable rights for member nations to manage the fisheries resources in their zones. The Distant Waters Fishing Nations, including major fishing fleets from the United States and Japan, insisted that Article 64 of UNCLOS allowed them to enter the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of member countries to fish highly migratory species, such as tuna. PNG and the Solomon Islands responded by arresting two U.S. Super-Seiners. In the tense period following the arrests, the FFA represented its member countries in negotiations with the United States. In 1987, the United States agreed to the U.S.Treaty, giving FFA’s members global assurance of their inviolable rights to the tuna resources as well as US$18 million a year in access fees. FFA, having established these rights, negotiated access agreements with other fishing nations and developed a system for the regional monitoring, control and surveillance of the high seas fisheries of the South Pacific. Initially, negotiations with distant water fishing nations centred on payment schedules for access rights and how to monitor fishing activities on the high seas to be sure the member countries received their full commissions. There were few discussions of limiting fishing activities because accurate statistics showed stocks to be under-fished. In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, catch data suggested that regulations were needed. FFA countries, fully aware of the declining fisheries in the rest of the world, began steps to assure the sustainability of their tuna resource. Their first response ranks as one of the most important achievements for sustainable development in the Pacific. Korea, Japan and Taiwan fishing fleets were fishing for albacore tuna in international waters using drift-nets that were many kilometres long. These nets took an unsustainable toll on the albacore tuna stocks, and accidentally killed a vast array of other sea creatures, including marine mammals. Under the leadership of the FFA, the countries of the South Pacific joined together in an emergency session to declare The Wellington Drift-net Convention. While efforts to halt drift net fishing in the North Pacific had proved unsuccessful, the Wellington Drift-net Convention succeeded. Korea, Taiwan and Japanese drift net fishers withdrew from the area. The Wellington convention demonstrated that when their resources were clearly threatened, the small island nations were prepared to react swiftly and in concert against major opponents. (see also Drift Net.htm). Confrontations would not bring about a commercially viable partnership for sustainable development of the world’s largest tuna fishery. FFA began a series of Multilateral High Level Conferences to develop effective management strategies to assure the sustainable development of the tuna resources of the Pacific Ocean. These conferences have been milestones in diplomatic strategies for shared resources. The process is scheduled to finish in 2000 with a final agreement on management practices for the offshore tuna fishery. (see also MHLC.htm). The majority of the worlds fishing grounds are either depleted or over-fished. As countries take action to reduce fishing pressure, their displaced fishing fleets are looking for new fishing grounds. For example, in April 1999 the European Commission proposed "drastic" cuts in catches of threatened fish species in European Union waters. As a result, The European Union applied for, and was given, licenses to allow 14 large Spanish purse seine vessels to fish in Kiribati. France was separately seeking licenses for French vessels to operate around its territory of New Caledonia. For more on line, click here. The MHLC 2000 is expected to reach a formal management agreement on limiting fishing effort for sustainable yields. Management will require an upper limit to the number of fishing vessels allowed to harvest their tuna stocks, and this means that some Pacific island nations are going to have to refuse additional licence applications. In granting the Spanish licence, Kiribati acknowledged it should wait until after the MHLC 2000 meeting but went ahead because of short-term financial needs. If the meeting is able to succeed in finalizing the agreement, it will be a major triumph for sustainable development of ocean resources. |
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