"The state of Pacific tuna fisheries is the key issue on the table," Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton said today at the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee annual meeting being held in Wellington.
“Healthy tuna fisheries are the economic engine for most Pacific Island countries and, for some, these fisheries are their greatest source of income.
“But Pacific tuna fisheries have reached a critical point," Jim Anderton said. "The scale and intensity of fishing is ever increasing. And already two of the key target species – bigeye and yellowfin tuna – are subject to unsustainable levels of fishing.
“If we don’t address things now, the whole Pacific region will face huge economic issues in the long-term.”
The highly migratory tuna fisheries in the Pacific region are worth about $US2 billion per year. They are probably the only remaining healthy tuna stocks left on the planet, as most high-value tuna and tuna-like fish stocks in other oceans of the world are now seriously depleted or fast heading that way.
“The FFA has to address the economic integrity of this huge and shared resource,” Jim Anderton said. “To do this, we must now work together as a unified Pacific region. We must act with foresight, and we must act soon.
“Without foresight and quick action, our Western and Central Pacific tunas may go the way of Indian and Atlantic Ocean tuna fisheries - and that would be a tragedy for every Pacific Island country, in terms of future development opportunities, future jobs and economic self-sufficiency.”
