Ronald Toito’ona – FFA's TUNApacific: Fisheries News and Views

Quest for a Natural Currency Standard for Pacific Tuna

Features19 October 2018

Ronald Toito’ona reporting from the Thriving Pacific Workshop

Pacific leaders from fishing agencies, industries and businesses, conservationists and academics participated in a workshop this month to determine the next steps needed to realise a vision for a thriving Pacific economy, built around a healthy tuna fishery and marine ecosystem.

Peter Seligmann, chairman of Conservation International, moderated the Thriving Pacific Workshop. He is also the Founder and CEO of Nia Tero, a global collaboration to advance indigenous peoples and local community stewardship of vital ecosystems.

Peter Seligmann from Conservation International and Nia Tero moderated the Thriving Pacific Workshop. Photo: Stephan Röhl

The goals of the Workshop were to deepen a shared understanding, adoption and commitment to sustainable fisheries by transforming the value chain and establishing a Natural Currency Standard for Pacific Tuna. Tuna is a key ecological resource deeply intertwined with the lives, livelihoods and ocean health of one of the largest fisheries on Earth.

The former Parties to the Nauru Agreement (CEO) Executive Officer and Workshop participant, Dr Aqorau said in an exclusive interview that the idea of a “National Currency Standard” is an initiative that is being developed by Nia Tero with the support of Walmart Supermarket in the US. He hopes this will lead to a strategic partnership either with the PNA as a collective group or individual PNA members.

The idea of a National Currency Standard finds its inspiration in having a Standard that reflects the values and aspirations of the indigenous communities of the Pacific region for whom tuna is a vital source. For Walmart, the largest purchaser of tuna on the planet, it is about securing a sustainable supply of tuna and supporting Pacific Islands communities.

“This will build on the progress of ratings and programs but go further in supporting cooperative governance for these shared resources,” said Dr Aqorau. “It is about securing supply and ensuring equitable benefits accrue to the communities who own the resource.”

“The idea is to link the standard to the Sustainable Development Goals [SDG]. The Standard should recognise and support regional aspirations as reflected in the Regional Roadmap, Blue Economy, Blue Pacific and the region’s shared goals. The region’s goals are to support the cultures and socioeconomic development aspirations of the Pacific Islands, which are encompassed in existing regional strategies.”

Transform Aqorau Photo: RNZ / Philippa Tolley

“The Standard should be backed up by full transparency and traceability, using existing Chain-of-Custody protocols and taking advantage of available technologies. The Standard should be built on the foundational principles, of environmental sustainability and social accountability, and drawing on the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) principles. But the Standard will apply it in a more robust manner, taking a broader, more comprehensive view in terms of the application of the principles, with full transparency to address weaknesses,” Dr. Aqorau said.

The former PNA boss said, in establishing and assessing against these principles, the Standard should draw on best practices from globally established ratings and certification systems for fisheries. The Standard should also incorporate criteria developed specifically for tuna by other organisations, such as the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation.

Dr Aqorau further stated that these are exciting times in the global tuna industry as well as challenging, given the social and cultural issues coming to the fore in the global discourses on tuna.
“I am a fervent believer in the reshaping of our fishing rights to empower our peoples who are the custodians of the largest and healthiest tuna stocks in the world,” said Dr Aqorau.

Meanwhile, according to Dr Aqorau the next steps will be to sensitise the idea with our peoples so that is actually driven from within the region.

Background: the desire for long-term sustainability in the Pacific Islands

As the population of earth grows toward 8 billion, sustaining renewable sources of protein becomes more critical. The importance of the Pacific tuna fishery to the security and prosperity of Pacific Island countries requires an intense focus on sustainability to ensure ocean ecosystems are kept healthy and continue to provide benefits to Pacific Islanders.

Building upon the work done in Regional Roadmap for Sustainable Pacific Fisheries, a small group recently developed a draft blueprint for a Thriving Pacific, focused on bringing together proven innovations to reward sustainability in the marketplace and support effective governance that benefits Pacific Island communities. This blueprint relies on collaborative efforts among business, non-profits, and governments. We know from other conservation initiatives that only by working together with local stakeholders can a truly sustainable solution be found.

Thriving Pacific Workshop

Convened by Conservation International, Nia Tero and Emerson Collective, this workshop on Thriving Pacific brings together leaders from across the Pacific Island tuna supply system—fisheries management entities, supply chain companies, fisheries conservation experts and retailers. It aimed to provide insights and perspective to form a practical, market-based approach to account for the full value that Pacific tuna represents for the people who depend on it as a food, whose well being and livelihoods are affected by it, and the ocean ecosystem with which it is intrinsically linked. The discussion at this Workshop will inform the work ahead including a set of regional meetings in the Pacific Islands in 2019.

Theory of Change

To realise the vision of the Roadmap, a small number of aligned resource owners, value chain companies, and retailers must envision and act in a coordinated way on three things:

A definition of sustainable tuna that includes the highest standards of cultural, social, environmental and economic best practices (“Natural Currency Standard”)
A concurrent strategy to hit the ‘reset’ button on consumer awareness of ‘sustainable tuna’ in the USA and other major markets to drive consumer demand and market penetration of the Natural Currency Standard (e.g., ‘Got Milk?’, ‘Pork, the other white meat’ campaigns)
A practical, economically viable approach to rethink the supply chain by improving supply chain efficiencies, reducing waste, and ensuring transparency and traceability to scale and support a product portfolio that adheres to a Natural Currency Standard

A Natural Currency Standard

Although the present economic value of Pacific Island tuna fisheries is well understood, the broader natural capital value of these species is not embedded in the market and governance systems for these resources. Furthermore, existing ratings and certification programs have been developed without incorporating the aspirations of indigenous cultures, experience of private sector partners, and support for cooperative governance of a shared resource. Harnessing these experiences can help incorporate the true value of tuna species and help ensure sustainable management of this critically important resource. We propose to develop a Natural Currency Standard (NCS), establishing a globally recognised set of criteria to support environmental sustainability, social responsibility, and cultural perpetuation.

Environmental Sustainability

We will draw on best practices from globally established ratings and certification systems for fisheries, such as the Marine Stewardship Council, and incorporate criteria developed specifically for tuna by other organisations and platforms. These environmental best practices will consider the broader ecosystem role of tuna and incorporate predicted climate driven shifts that will affect management, ensuring that a healthy fishery and ocean ecosystem will continue to produce tuna indefinitely.

Social Responsibility

A new, comprehensive social responsibility standard is encompassed in the Monterey Framework, which has three core components:
(a) Protect human rights, dignity, and access to resources;
(b) Ensure equity and equality, and
(c) Improve food and livelihood security.
The NCS will incorporate these social responsibility dimensions, addressing egregious practices such as slavery and other labor/human rights abuses and supporting social improvements in tuna fisheries.

Cultural Perpetuation

The Pacific Islands’ shared goals to support the cultures and socioeconomic development aspirations of the Pacific Islands are encompassed in existing regional strategies that have been developed and approved by all Pacific Island leaders.3 The NCS will incorporate the regional aspirations encompassed in these guiding frameworks and strategies, as well as a full range of sociocultural values.

Creating consumer demand for sustainability

Commodification of tuna presents major challenges to the sustainable seafood movement, particularly where canned tuna is concerned. Consumers have higher expectations and demands for sustainability and companies that incorporate sustainability into their business have outperformed their peers in the marketplace. To better support sustainability in Pacific tuna fisheries, we need to learn and understand more about the desires, attitudes and trends of consumers. Given that many consumers are confused about their choices when purchasing seafood, there is an opportunity to shape the space favourably to support sustainable practices.

There are many opportunities to explore marketing high quality skipjack tuna from the Pacific Islands to support a transformation in practices and benefits for local economies. In the USA, entire protein, dairy, nut and fruit categories have been successfully rebranded, awakening the category from a flat to declining market-share to margin and sales growth. Much like pork, milk and almonds prior to concerted marketing campaigns, we believe that sustainable skipjack is not getting its deserved status in the marketplace despite investments in fishery management and is being overlooked as one the world’s most healthy, tasty, nutritious and sustainable forms of protein.

Rethinking the supply chain

Market pull-through is essential for the success and durability of systemic change in a supply chain. In the Pacific Island tuna value chain, aligning the sustainability principles of major retailers with the development aspirations of the Pacific Island region generates significant opportunities to rethink the supply chain.

Technology will be key to improving efficiencies and solving key sustainability issues in the supply chain. Building on proven approaches, technology can improve monitoring and traceability along with lowering the cost of energy and water that benefit producers, processors, brands and consumers. Process innovations and local investments that shorten time to market, improve access to labour pools, and/or improve the ability to store product can also play an important role in supply chain improvements. These improvements lower cost of handling and bring more financial benefit to local islands.

Ultimately, properly aligned incentives can help to encourage responsible management for long term benefits. There are a range of bright spots and long-term investments that can be scaled, as well as a set of frontiers in innovation and business models that can be explored to re-think and re-imagine the tuna supply chain of the 21st century.

Solomons makes $399M from tuna alone, in 2017

Op-Eds: Tuna newsbeat insights2 March 2018

THE Solomon Islands government has earned a record $399 million Solomon Island Dollar (SBD) from its tuna resources in 2017, the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR) in Honiara has revealed. This is around $51 million US dollars.

The fishing industry now offers hope for the country, behind the logging industry, which earns more but is slowly decreasing in its revenue.

Ministry’s Under-Secretary (Technical) Ferral Lasi said offshore fisheries remain the largest income-generating sector and this is from tuna alone, which accounts for almost 90 per cent of the revenues.

He said it’s a trend he believes could take the lead in a country that has heavily relied on logging for the last two decades.

“Tuna is soon to take up the lead, as it continues to show a massive increase in revenue compared to the past.

“This positive trend shows the improvement in management of the country’s ocean resources and, most importantly, the collective efforts from neighbouring countries in the region to pursue a common objective to manage tuna,” Mr Lasi said.

He added that the species of tuna caught in the Solomon waters worth millions of dollars are albacore, yellowfin, bigeye and skipjack – the four main species of interest in the world market.

“The wealth of any island nation in the Pacific lies in the massive area of waters surrounding their archipelagos, and that is measured 200 nautical miles from the shoreline, known as the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).”

Mr Ferral Lasi, Under-Secretary (Technical) Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR) speaking to the regional journalists at the WCPFC14, in Philippines. Photo: Ronald Toito’ona

Like other island countries, the ocean bounded under the sovereignty of Solomon Islands is many times larger than the land mass of the country itself, hence the responsibility to care and protect the EEZ is a challenge.

Mr Lasi’s revelation that $339 million collected from revenues in fisheries by the government is a well-deserved acknowledgement for the hardworking staff in the MFMR.

He dubbed logging in the country as a ‘sunset industry’.

“The fishing industry remains the most promising industry that keeps the government optimistic for the future.”

He said once other marine species are managed well to benefit the local people and enable them to participate in commercial activities, more revenue will pour into the country without heavy reliance on tuna.

He said an example of this is bech-de-mer (sea cucumber), which is a valuable marine species but not abundant like tuna.

Mr Lasi stressed that once the right policies are put in place by the government to help local people, the management and commercialization of sea cucumber will definitely boost the economy and enrich the indigenous people.

“There are many marine resources inside our coastal waters and the ocean that should be enough to sustain our livelihood and support our government to commit in its service delivery.”

Honiara port is one of the busiest port in the Pacific: purse seiners that are fishing in the Solomon Islands waters are doing transhipment. Photo: Ronald Toito’ona

Mr Lasi further stated that more work is being carried out by MFMR to gauge the maximum benefit Solomon Islands can acquire from its ocean resources, though sustainable management.

There may be several more millions generated from other marine products.

But the question is, how much of that money actually ends up in the hands of Solomon Islanders?

This is a hard question to answer.

But it’s a question worth answering if Solomon Islanders are to quantify the benefits they are deriving from their own marine resources.

Former chief executive officer of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) and the country’s very own fisheries law expert, Dr Transform Aqorau, once said that the Solomon Islands should be earning more from its tuna than what it is earning now.

But for the nation to earn maximum benefits from its marine resources, resource owners must be considered and included in all facets of policy and decision-making.

Right now, most of the big players in the industry are outsiders. Solomon Islanders are still missing out.

Whilst the fisheries industry holds much hope for the country, authorities need to ensure resource owners get maximum benefit from their resources.

‘Tokelau tuna agreement NOT ideal for us’: Solomon Islands

@WCPFC14, News, News7 December 2017

By RONALD TOITO’ONA, Manila

THE Tokelau Arrangement – an agreement which aims to get Pacific nations working together to manage albacore tuna stocks – is not the right approach for the country, says Under-Secretary for the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resource (MFMR) Ferral Lasi.

Solomon Islands has the biggest albacore fishery of any Pacific nation but confirmed recently it has has withdrawn from the Arrangement.

Speaking to journalists covering the 14^th Western Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC14) in Manila, Mr Lasi said the reason for the withdrawal is based on what is best for the country.

He explained that although Solomon Islands had been assured that its catch allocation under the Arrangement would be based on its historical catch, this did not appear to be the case once the models are run.

“We can see consistently that our allocation has gone down. And so, we decided the best is for us to withdraw, we don’t want to be constrained, because we also have our localization policy, to have our own fleet.

“We are also using the Longline VDS system, which is in conflict with the catch-base system that the Tokelau Arrangement is proposing.

“So that is the reason why we pulled out,” Mr Lasi explained, during a press conference yesterday.

He added, the strengthening of the local Solomon Islands fisheries is part of the country’s policy for the future.

“Based on the longline VDS, we want to ring fence and get more control, …and we see the Arrangement as standing in the way, constraining our policy.

“The Tokelau Arrangement only caters for certain members of FFA. Not all the members are part of the agreement,” the HOD for the Solomon Islands delegation said.

When asked if the move will affect the Pacific Solidarity in the Tuna industry, Mr Lasi said the country did not see this as something that will affect the pacific solidarity, but as an opportunity to breakout and regroup and to form a better Arrangement.

However, the Pacific Islands Tuna Industries Association (PITIA) was dismayed by the news on the country’s withdrawal.

“… actually it was disappointing for the industry, it was disappointing probably for the Pacific island region as well,” John Maefiti, Executive Officer of the Honiara based Tuna Industries Association, told the media

“We should sit down at the table and discuss our differences and look at ways to go forward.

“We just have to show the world that we are together in this and we should fight together in this and not try to show them our weak points by showing our differences in this type of initiative.” Mr Maefiti said.

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FFA on Solomons’ Tokelau Agreement withdrawal

@WCPFC14, FFA Media Fellows Past Events7 December 2017

By RONALD TOITO’ONA, Manila

THE Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) says it was very unfortunate that the Solomon Islands has pulled out from the agreement, which now signals possible changes for the future of the albacore fishery.

FFA’s Deputy Director General, Wez Norris, told journalists in Manila it was unfortunate that Solomon Islands made the decision at the time that they did.

“What we were very much hoping to achieve, was to finalize the negotiations of the (Tokelau Arrangement) catch management agreement, which we were very close to doing and then allow each country to consider it as a whole complete package and decide whether their interested to participate or not,” Norris explained.

“Unfortunately we didn’t get the opportunity to cross that final line, …this only happened at the beginning of November and we and the other countries and the Solomon Islands haven’t really had the opportunity to .. get our breath back after all of that push, and work out where we stand and what we’re going to do next for the collective management for the Albacore fishery.

“Solomon’s in the past has been one of the largest albacore producers from its EEZ and so therefore we can understand the strong need to protect their own interests,” said Mr Norris.

However, the DDG said the Solomon Islands has the most to gain from a sustainable albacore fishery and they also have the most to lose from an unsustainable albacore fishery.

“So the FFA will continue to work with them and see where they can come along.

Mr Norris moved on to explain that, he thinks what their Solomon Islands decision making follows on from an earlier decision from Cook Islands to also withdraw.

“I think what that shows us is that we need to take a step backwards and work out sort of see what lessons we can learn from the process that we’ve just been through and then see on how we can get a sort of better design a future process that will give everyone the assurances that they need, Mr Norris said.

“I’m actually confident that, had we finished the negotiation of this, then we would have been able to make a case to all of the albacore countries as to why it was in their interest.

“But as I say, there’s certainly some lessons we can learn about what happened and why before we go back the negotiation way,” the Deputy Director General, who will soon leave the FFA said.

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Blue boats are back, warns New Caledonia

@WCPFC14, News, News7 December 2017

By RONALD TOITO’ONA, In Manila

AFTER a lull in sightings of illegal Vietnamese Blue Boats in the Pacific seas, New Caledonia has warned Pacific States that the illegal fishing boats are back.

The Tuna Commission was told this week in Manila, Philippines about the Blue Boat threat, despite all the efforts to crack down on them.

New Caledonia is the latest country to sight the boats, Thursday last week.

“The purpose of my intervention to warn the members of the Western Pacific by sharing with you what is happening now in New Caledonia,” said the French territory’s representative Manuel Ducrocq.

“Blue Boats are back in the region.

“Despite the statement of several Commission members during last plenary session, despite the joint effort between FFA members, the QUAD (the defence forces of Australia, New Zealand the United States and France) and New Caledonia to join their knowledge and diplomacy, despite the yellow card delivered by the EU to Vietnam, Blue Boats are back in our waters,” Mr Ducrocq told the opening session of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission.

The francophone territory also remembered well a Vietnamese statement in the last Tuna Commission meeting in Fiji, which explained that the Vietnam government was highly concerned over the Blue Boats activities in the Pacific seas.

Looking back at the Vietnamese statement, the New Caledonia delegation to this year’s WCPFC14 said they (Vietnam) is still not doing much to address the issue.

“I remember the statement by our friend, the delegate of Vietnam, during last TCC who explained us that Vietnam is highly concerned about IUU fishing but it is apparently not enough.

“Indeed two Blue Boats were intercepted last Thursday in the waters of New Caledonia. Boats and crew have been delivered by the French navy to justice,” Mr Ducrocq stated.

Five tones of gutted and salted sea cucumber and shark fins were found on board the apprehended vessels.

“I know that sea cucumber is not a highly-migratory species but this time shark fins and was equally found on board.

“Sharks were illegally fished in the participating territory of the Commission …, against the New Caledonia fishing policy in a shark sanctuary. One more time, it is not acceptable,” the representative said.

It was understood that the Commission will be informed officially of these facts, when the 14^th Tuna Commission meeting continues this week.

With the successful interception of the two blue boats, New Caledonia wishes to thank Australia for the efficient co-operation work with the French navy.

Towards the middle of this year, three Blue boats were caught in the Indispensable reef of Solomon Islands, and the captains and crews were ordered to pay huge fines, for breaching the country’s laws.

These Blue Boats and their illegal activities are now a serious threat to nations of the Pacific region.

The recent incident in New Caledonia will prompt other Pacific Island countries, and other fisheries bodies like the Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), and the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA), to continue to call on Vietnam to be cooperative, in the current 14^th regular Tuna Commission meeting.

\\ends

We are out: Solomon Islands pulls out of key tuna deal

@WCPFC14, News, News4 December 2017

by Ronald Toito’ona, Solomons Star

Dec 4, WCPFC14, Manila— SOLOMON Islands has pulled out from a key tuna deal called the Tokelau Arrangement, citing it as a danger for the country and its catch allocation in the future.

The Tokelau Arrangement is an agreement amongst Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) member countries, to limit the catch of southern albacore tuna in their EEZ waters.

The aim is to restore profitability and sustainability to the fishery but the arrangement will only work if all countries in the albacore fishery take part.

Solomon Islands is part of the arrangement, which was signed during the 11th annual session of the Western Central Pacific Commission (WCPFC) held in Samoa, in 2014.

The Under-Secretary for the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources Ferral Lasi has confirmed the country’s withdrawal from the agreement.

“Yes, we have pulled out because it has the potential to sharply constrain our catch allocation in the future.

“We have our policy to develop our own long-line fishery in the future and this agreement could stand in the way, constraining our catch limit,” Mr Lasi, who is also the Head of Delegation (HOD) for the Solomon Islands, in the 14^th Tuna Commission meeting said.

Speaking to Regional Journalists in a press conference over the weekend, WWF’s Bubba Cook said the withdrawal of Solomon Islands from the agreement is a bit unfortunate, when relating it to Pacific solidarity.

“The greatest strength of the Islands is their solidarity. When the Islands come together and want something done as we saw last year at the Commission meeting with respect to the observer safety issue, they can get things done.

“And with respect to the Tokelau Arrangement, we have been calling for improvements in the Southern Long-line fishery now probably for a decade and things continually get worse.

“The fleets operating in the Pacific are continuing to see their catch rates fall, they are struggling to make their businesses viable and of course that is driving them to set more and more hooks to catch fewer fish which those hooks which aren’t catching albacore are catching things like turtles and sharks so it is having a multitude of effects beyond just the direct targeted fishery itself.

“So the Tokelau arrangement brought those countries together to collectively try and address at a Pacific Islands level, management of the Southern Long-line fishery, in a way that would provide reasonable allocations to all of the countries that are involved,” he said.

“With Solomon Islands opting out, I think that diminishes the power and influence of the Tokelau Arrangement. Although I have been told that the Tokelau Arrangement is ‘not dead’, it will continue, it is just not going to have the same strength it would if everyone was inside the tent pushing for the same goals,” Mr Cook added.

When asked the Under-Secretary about the view of WWF in terms of the Tokelau Agreement, and the Pacific Solidarity he said, “In terms of regional solidarity, we are not going to forego our development potential when it weighs heavily against us.”

It was understood that the Pacific solidarity issue will be one of the huge question asked, when the meeting continues this week.–ENDs