The Parties to Nauru Agreement (PNA) says that some members and small island nations like Tuvalu stand to suffer at the hands of big fishers in the name of consensus.
Dr Transform Aqorau, PNA chief executive officer, said the treatment of the small island nation is a classic example of how big fishing nations mistreat their smaller counterparts in the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC).
"As a Commission, we continue to allow disproportionate burden, yet we fail to actually come to some sort of reciprocation or give and take if you like," Dr Aqorau said.
Tuvalu's Natural Resource Minister Pita Elisala said the tropical tuna measure on bigeye, skipjack and yellowfin tuna requires a four month Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) closure which would place a large disproportionate burden on the fisheries. Tuvalu already observes a three month closure of FAD sets in its waters each year.
"In exchange for carrying this burden, this year we sought additional controls on the longline fishery, which are the primary beneficiaries of bigeye conservation measures," Mr Elisala said.
Now Tuvalu is seeking further controls to include a prohibition on longline fishing on the high seas during the period of the FAD closure for vessels that do not land their catches in port, a prohibition on the transshipment of frozen bigeye tuna at sea and improved observer coverage and monitoring of longline vessels operating on the high seas.
Mr Elisala said all these measures were intended to improve monitoring, control and surveillance of the high seas longline fishery, which is widely recognised as being out of control.
The PNA meanwhile is continuing to work on its FAD implementation within its purse seine fisheries to allow proposed FAD charging which would allow nations like Tuvalu to remove the FAD closures.
