U.S. boats are slated to be locked out of the world’s best tuna-fishing waters after the nation went back on a deal with 17 Pacific states, in the midst of a decline in prices for canned fish throughout the country.
A conglomeration of Pacific Island states — including Tuvalu, Tokelau and the Marshall Islands — along with New Zealand and Australia are not issuing fishing licenses to about 36 U.S. ships after company owners refused to meet agreed-on payments in August last year.
The move means U.S. boats will not be able to access waters where about half of the world’s skipjack tuna is caught every year.
The standoff means U.S.-owned fishing boats — often based in American Samoa, a U.S. Pacific territory — risk losing roughly 300,000 tons of catch, most of which is made up of skipjack.
It could also mean a decrease in revenue streams for some of the world’s poorest nations, with more than a quarter of their $350 million annual fishing license revenue generated from U.S. companies.
A U.S. State Department official said, “The best way forward for all parties would be for the Pacific Island parties to revise the terms for the U.S. fleet for 2016.”
“It is a huge concern for us that our boats can’t fish in their traditional fishing areas and deliver fish back to American Samoa,” said Joe Hamby, chief operating officer at Tri Marine Management, which produces tuna brand Ocean Naturals and supplies tuna to supermarket chain Costco (Lucy Craymer, Wall Street Journal, Jan. 12). — AK
CREDIT: EENews.net