South Pacific Tuna Treaty

Pacific-US tuna treaty won’t be affected by delays in signing

The administrator of the Treaty and Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency Director General James Movick said they will await the process of approval.

Movick said the most important step is initialing the agreement and he hopes Fiji might be in a position to do that.

“But I think even if Fiji is unable to initial as a separate process from the parliamentary ratification we have received no indication of dissatisfaction with the Treaty and so we just simply await the outcome of the process,” he said.

South Pacific tuna talks kick off

The treaty was first implemented in 1987 between the US government and Pacific island countries.

Our correspondent in Pago Pago says American Samoa will be watching the talks as its two tuna canneries depend on sufficient fish supply for their survival.

An interim agreement, valid only for 2015, allows the US purse seiner fleet to fish in the exclusive economic zones of the Pacific Island Forum Fisheries members.

The meeting is set for the 3rd to 5th of August in Brisbane.