ffa – FFA's TUNApacific: Fisheries News and Views

Digitising data a challenge for Pacific fishing industry

News30 April 2018

Republished from Radio New Zealand, 30 April 2018

The Forum Fisheries Agency says the Pacific is facing big challenges as it embraces digital technology.

Tuna on the deck of a Pacific fishing vessel. Photo: RNZI/Giff Johnson

A systems analyst for the agency said that in the fisheries sector, work to digitise information was ongoing and labour intensive.

Ano Tisam said many organisations and governments in the region still used pen and paper.

He said to move ahead, information needed to be accessible in a digital format and properly stored and archived.

FFA Systems analyst, Ano Tisam. Photo: RNZ Pacific Sara Vui-Talitu

“We used technology to help Pacific governments to move away from what they are doing in terms of paper, and transitioning them over to digital technologies so that they can improve the way that they do things to make things more efficient and more effective.”

Ano Tisam was visiting New Zealand from Solomon Islands as a guest speaker at last week’s Pacific Tech Summit in Auckland.

FFA hosts Pacific-Global Zone-based Tuna Fisheries Management Knowledge Exchange

News8 March 2018

Republished from FAO, 8 March 2018

Peter Cusack, Regional Coordinator – Pacific Islands Regional Oceanscape Program

Honiara, Solomon Islands 13-15 February 2018. Lamine Camara, Director of Fisheries for Mauritania, was the first representative from Mauritania to visit the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) in Honiara, Solomon Islands when he arrived in February this year. Joining him on the occasion were an additional 20 international delegates who all gathered at the FFA premises to participate in a Pacific – Global Zone-based Tuna Fisheries Management Exchange. The Exchange was hosted by FFA to provide an opportunity for representatives of developing coastal States from around the globe with an interest in tuna fisheries to visit the Pacific and learn first-hand of the successes and challenges in tuna fisheries management encountered in the Pacific Ocean.

Pacific-Global Zone-based Tuna Fisheries Management Knowledge
Exchange delegates from Senegal, Mauritania, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau,
India, Sri Lanka, St Kitts and Nevis, Indonesia, Maldives, Seychelles,
Tanzania, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, and
representatives of World Wildlife Fund and Conservation International,
pictured with FFA, PNA and SPC staff © FFA

The gathering was supported by the Common Oceans ABNJ Ocean Partnerships Project (OPP), which provides funding from the Global Environment Fund (GEF) through FFA to conduct knowledge sharing and inter-regional cooperation with developing coastal States and other stakeholders globally.

Over the course of the three-day event, participants examined and discussed the “Pacific model” for fisheries cooperation. There was a focus on how zone-based management arrangements have been introduced in the FFA region and used to gain control of the fishery by coastal states, thereby reaping substantially increased benefits. FFA staff and resource people from the Office of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) and the Pacific Community described the long history of cooperation, the key outputs (programs and platforms for cooperation) and the main outcomes (social, economic and environmental benefits) that have been achieved in the FFA region.

A total of twenty-one delegates participated in the exchange, including representatives from national and regional fisheries agencies and fisheries programs in Senegal, Mauritania, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, India, Sri Lanka, St Kitts and Nevis, Indonesia, Maldives, Seychelles, Tanzania, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, as well as representatives from the World Wildlife Fund and Conservation International.

The Exchange was part of FFA’s ongoing program that seeks mutual benefits from greater collaboration with developing coastal States around the world. Mutual benefits that accrued from the Exchange and are expected to expand in the future included:

FFA Director-General James T Movick © FFA

for other developing coastal States – a working example of cooperation in fisheries management, development and enforcement and the ability to leverage lessons learned through trial and error here;
for FFA members – a greater appreciation around the globe of the zone-based cooperative model employed by FFA. This is growing more important as oceans and fisheries related issues gain more prominence on the global agenda. This greater understanding benefits FFA members because it should lead to better support for FFA positions and approaches from other coastal States around the world; and
for all parties – gaining different perspectives about how to deal with similar issues in the management of highly migratory fish stocks.

It was noted that many of the ‘lessons learned’ from the Exchange does not only apply to tuna fisheries, but also to other cross boundary demersal stocks, and for the introduction and use of monitoring, control and surveillance technologies.

In welcoming the participants and opening the Exchange FFA Director- General, Mr James Movick provided an overview of regional tuna fisheries management in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) and described the concept of “Zone-based Management” and how the Pacific small Island developing states (SIDS) have implemented it.

In his remarks, Mr Movick said that the region is “more strongly asserting our rights in what used to be a completely distant-water flag-state fishery. Pacific nations have given themselves a much bigger bite of revenues from the global tuna sandwich. We want to share this knowledge to assess what lessons are transferable to other developing regions – and learn from the unique experiences that others bring to our table.”

He also said that the importance of tuna to Pacific SIDS is illustrated by fisheries revenues making up more than 40% of public revenue in five countries, providing 25,000 jobs in the region and contributing to food security and development opportunities. At the global scale the 2016 WCPO tuna catch of 2.6 million tonnes represented around 60% of the global tuna catch and was worth $5.2 billion. In turn, around 60% of this WCPO catch is from FFA waters.

Tuna provide substantial economic opportunities for FFA members, including the contribution to DP through access fees, domestic fleet development, onshore processing jobs and export income, but today only 30% of fish caught in members’ exclusive economic zones is being taken by local fleets and only 10% is landed for processing.


Sunil Sweenarain of OIC, left, and Roy Clarisse of Seychelles exchanging ideas © FFA	FFA Legal Counsel, Manu Tupou-Roosen makes a point with Senegal-based, Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission delegates © FFA	A plenary session of the exchange © FFA

Mr Ludwig Kumoru, CEO of the PNA shared how the Vessel Day Scheme (VDS) has been a “game-changer in the sustainable management of tuna resources.” He continued saying, “The VDS put a cap on the number of days that fishing vessels can operate in our waters, and steadily ramped up the cost of access so that the PNA members receive a fairer share of revenues. Before the VDS came into being there was no proper valuation placed on the fishery and we were at the mercy of foreign interests. That has all changed.”

The OPP is one of the four Projects of the GEF-funded Common Oceans ABNJ Program that, under the World Bank lead, is supporting public and private sector investment in better managed fisheries targeting migratory stocks that straddle developing countries’ coastal jurisdictions and areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ).

For more information about the Pacific-Global Zone-based Tuna Fisheries Management Knowledge Exchange, please contact:

Peter Cusack, Regional Coordinator – Pacific Islands Regional Oceanscape Program | peter.cusack@ffa.int

Mass buy-in needed for new fish tracking technology to work

News16 January 2018

Republished from Radio New Zealand, 16 January 2018

The Forum Fisheries Agency’s deputy director general Wez Norris says there’s huge potential in the new digital technology being piloted to track fish.

But Mr Norris said if the blockchain system was going to work on a fishery-wide basis, it would need commitment and collaboration from companies and governments in dozens of countries.

The system is on trial in Fiji to monitor tuna from the moment a fish is caught up until it’s bought for consumption.

It’s hoped the technology will help ensure more accountability on a global scale and combat illegal fishing practises, but Mr Norris said fish tracking is complex.

“A fish that might be caught in Solomon Islands might be transported to Fiji and it might be transported there and then marketed through a company in Singapore and then eventually end up in the US, and so all of those players need to be part of this system. It is going to take quite some time to build that level of trust and commitment.”

Wez Norris will vacate the Solomon Islands-based FFA director general role this week.

Outgoing FFA deputy director general signs off

News11 January 2018

Republished from Radio New Zealand, 11 January 2018

The Forum Fisheries Agency’s outgoing deputy director general says ensuring the sustainability of regional fisheries to benefit future generations in small island states was his key priority.

The Forum Fisheries Agency's outgoing deputy director general Wez Norris. — The Forum Fisheries Agency’s outgoing deputy director general Wez Norris. Photo: FFA

Wez Norris is vacating the role this month after 10 years at the agency.

He said while at times it had been a challenge to balance member priorities with regional ones, there had been increased cooperation among members to achieve collaborative goals.

“So that’s of course number one is putting in place management measures and rules that will maintain these stocks at levels where we can continue to enjoy benefits for years to come,” said Mr Norris.

“Within that is a very strong priority though to do that in a way to place control and opportunity in the hands of developing coastal states,” he said.

“So it is not good enough simply to just have a cap on the level of fishing that keeps it sustainable if Pacific countries can’t benefit from those sustainable fisheries.”

Mr Norris said one memorable highlight for him was the re-negotiation of a treaty between Pacific states and the United States that took six years to complete.

He said he was pleased that New Zealander Matt Hooper, who has significant experience in tuna fisheries in the region, would replace him in the role.

Pacific tuna commission agrees new rules for crucial species

News12 December 2017

Republished from Radio New Zealand, 12 December 2017

The 26 nations that govern the world’s biggest fishery left it to the last minute to agree to new rules for three economically crucial tropical tuna species – skipjack, yellowfin and bigeye.

20445954 - a yellowfin tuna fish with a hook in its mouth from fishing — A hooked yellowfin tuna fish. Photo: ftlaudgirl/123RF

PacNews reports the adoption of a new tropical tuna Bridging Measure at three o’clock in the morning on the last day of the meeting of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission was greeted with applause after days of gruelling negotiations.

It is being hailed as a success for Commission Chair Rhea Moss-Christian.

Other measures approved by the Commission include action to address plastic marine pollution and to boost the capacity of Pacific nations to step up the fight against illegal fishing with more vessel inspections in their ports.

69760535 - scenery of the fishing port — Photo: mtaira/123RF

The meeting failed to reach agreement on measures for albacore tuna, proposed by Pacific countries, but did agree to prioritise albacore at next year’s meeting.

The Tropical Tuna Measure, which regulates a catch worth $US4.5 billion, is a three-year agreement.

It is designed to ensure skipjack, bigeye and yellowfin tuna stocks are maintained at recent average levels and capable of producing maximum sustainable yield.

Rhea Moss Christian, Chair of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission. Nadi, Fiji WCPFC meeting 2016. Photo: RNZI/Monical Miller

“For this Commission to come away from this meeting without having a measure in place would have been a disgrace,” Rhea Moss-Christian told journalists after the decision.

Many distant water nations played a role in the final outcome but Ms Moss-Christian and the Forum Fisheries Agency highlighted the role of Japan, in particular.

FFA lauds improved process of high seas fishing policymaking at WCPFC14

@WCPFC14, The tuna picture, Videos11 December 2017

Wez Norris (FFA) talks about, for the first time, looking at opportunities and rights on the high seas for fishery fleets, at the 14th Regular Session of the Western & Central Pacific Fisheries Commission.

Published 7 Dec 2017

FFA Deputy Director General appointment announced

News, News10 December 2017

MANILA, Philippines, December 7 — Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) Director General James Movick announced the appointment of New Zealand’s Matthew Hooper to the position of Deputy Director-General of FFA to start during the first half of 2018.

The appointment comes as the current Deputy Director-General Wez Norris prepares to wrap up his final Tuna Commission meeting today.

“The contribution and impact made by Deputy Director-General Norris during his time with the agency has been lasting and impressive, and the extraordinary level of service from Wez to the organisation, and our members, is well-recognised,” said Movick.

“As he completes his final Tuna Commission in his pivotal role with the FFA team, I know our forum fisheries committee officials, leaders, development partners and stakeholders will similarly join me in welcoming the incoming Deputy Director.”

At a press briefing this week, Norris said this is the 11th time he has attended the annual meeting of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC).

“I think it’s a really significant achievement for the Commission as a whole that all four of the key tuna species are now in the green area of the Majuro plot so the conclusion for all of them is that there is no over fishing and over fishing is not occurring. This is the only RFMO [regional fisheries management organisation] in the world that can make that boast.”

“I certainly don’t take credit for that, everyone plays a role and everyone contributes to it and we’ve had a measure of good luck in terms of the science changing in terms of bigeye. I’m happy to be walking out the door with four sustainable key tuna stocks, but there are plenty of management challenges left for the next guy,” said Norris.

Wez Norris, outgoing FFA deputy director general at a press briefing in Manila last week

“I’m really confident that some of the progress that FFA has made over the last 5 years will be very well driven and supported by my successor.”

Hooper, who spent part of his childhood in Tokelau, and began his career in New Zealand fisheries in 1996, has been with the NZ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade as the Counsellor (Primary Industries) and Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), based at the New Zealand Embassy in Rome.

In making the announcement from Manila, where the FFA delegation is supporting Pacific nations to the WCPFC meetings, Movick says the incoming deputy brings significant experience in Pacific tuna fisheries, including the WCPFC, to the role.

“He has national, regional and international experience in fisheries management and negotiations. He’s well known and respected for his capability to work with people and it’s a very tricky situation to help resolve issues,” Movick told the Pacific Media team in Manila yesterday.

Movick’s six year term at the head of FFA also ends next year. He says the appointment process should see a successor announced between May and July 2018.

Tuna commission adopts Pacific proposal to increase port inspections of suspect fishing boats

@WCPFC14, News, News10 December 2017

The Forum Fisheries Agency is delighted that the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) has adopted its proposal for a new Port State Measure to combat illegal fishing by boosting Pacific Island capacity to conduct port inspections.

Fisheries Forum Agency (FFA) James Movick said the adoption of the port state measure is a victory against illegal fishing.

“WCPFC has just right now adopted the Port State management measure. It has taken four years for us to get it to this point and it has required quite a lot of dedication by the members and on the part of the FFA secretariat,” Movick told reporters this morning.

“What this does is … puts into place within the WCPFC area a port state management measure that allows for the inspection of boats in ports but on a basis that is affordable and achievable by the member countries,” Movick stated.

“I am very, very happy that we have been able to get this out of this Commission meeting,” Movick said

Pamela Maru the FFA official who led the project was pleased that the initiative was one of the first to take by the WCPFC to cater to the special needs of Pacific nations – a responsibility that is part of the organisation’s founding convention.

“It is the first time a measure that really looks at the implications and impacts on small island developing states, what those obligations might mean in terms of addressing their needs and their capacity-development requirements and developing, or having, some sort of agreement to develop mechanisms that will support their ability to improve their technical capacity,” Mr Maru said

“With this measure now in place members can start working towards designating ports where they have the capacity to undertake port inspections, develop risk-based analysis to target where their inspection and compliance efforts are focused, at the same time, identify where those gaps are,” she said.

The Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) oversees a more complex international agreement on Port-State measures.

While Palau, Tonga and Vanuatu have signed this agreement Pacific island nations believe it is beyond their current capacity to do so.

Angela Martini EU’s head of delegation for International Relations Officer, European Commission told Pacific reporters on Wednesday that while they consider the FFA proposal as “not as ambitious and strong,” as the FAO port state measure, it is still a step towards the fight against IUU,

“We are ready to support it because we can see it is a first step in the right direction to re-inforce controls in the region and so enhance the fight against IUU fishing,” Martini said.

FFA said there are already SIDS ports with has the capacity to undertake inspection. This measure will lead to more ports conducting inspections and more jobs for Pacific Islanders in fisheries compliance.

“It is definitely a great achievement for the FFA members but also for the partners that we have worked with,” Ms Maru said

“Japan came on board this year and worked collaboratively with and consulted with FFA members as we developed the proposal,” she added.

Announced: FFA’s new deputy Director General – Tokelau-raised Matthew Hooper

@WCPFC14, News, News7 December 2017

By Lealaiauloto Aigaletaule’ale’a F. Tauafiafi,Manila

“I am pleased to announce that I have appointed Matthew Hooper as the next deputy Director General of the Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA),” Mr James Movick, FFA’s Director General told Pacific media at a press briefing last night.

“He will take over when the incumbent Mr Wez Norris leaves us in mid-January.”

There were two significant points revealed in Mr Movick’s announcement at the Philippines International Conference Centre.

“Matthew being a New Zealand citizen has the distinction of spending some of his childhood and early schooling in Tokelau. So that’s rather distinctive as not many people have been to Tokelau and he’s spent his early years growing up and going to school there.”

This first point is pertinent as it is well established in the ‘Western psyche’ that the geography of our childhood helps shape our understanding of the world. The place where we grow up is the starting point of our identity and perception, our first context for reality.

If one looks at an individual’s identity from the vantage point of geography, it is that their world is shaped by the feel, characteristics, and weather of a landscape: a rugged coastline with crashing waves, the open horizon of flat plains, a lush tropical forest, or an urban complex. That the contours and intricacies of childhood landscapes influence their first assumptions about how the world looks and works.

For Mr Hooper, many of those early childhood geographical features belonged to the three atolls of Tokelau. Islands with a combined land area of 12 square kilometers it is dominated by the Pacific Ocean. A place that is accessible only by boat. Isolated, it is one of the most beautiful places in the world. But more than the beauty and spirituality of its physical environment, Tokelau is shaped by its people their culture and traditions. Its ‘inati system’ of sharing embodies equality in sharing and solidarity in effort, aspirations, achievements and hardship. A rare and selfless behavior that fortifies the characteristics of respect, service, sharing and love that result in actions for the ‘greater good’.

The second point of significance in the announcement is Mr Hooper’s involvement with the Treaty of Waitangi and settlement of the injustices dealt to the Maori people by the British crown in the late 19^th century.

“Matthew when he first started in fisheries around 1976 started in a very complex issue which was incorporating or facilitating Maori communities to begin to implement the rights they won under the Treaty of Waitangi settlement,” explained Mr Movick.

“So Matthew, as a very young man was given the job of working with all the iwi* in trying to put all of that together in order to enable a Maori fisheries management to be incorporated within the overall New Zealand fisheries management, a very challenging job.”

It is these two points that stand out about Mr Hooper’s appointment and ultimately, is what got him the job according to Mr Movick.

“He is well known and respected for his capability to work with people and it’s a very tricky situation to help resolve issues. And I think at the end of the day that was the principal basis for the recommendation from the interview panel comprised of five members of the Forum Fisheries Committee.

“… and I saw no reason not to accept the recommendation of the panel. Certainly, I hope that all our FFA colleagues, CROP and fisheries constituencies and leaders will welcome him in his new job.”

It should also be of comfort to the weavers, planters, fishers and children of the Pacific, that one of their Tokelau raised sons will spearhead the efforts to sustainably manage their oceanic tuna and other fisheries resource; and maximize economic returns and opportunities.

* The iwi (tribe) is the largest of the groups that form Māori society. Each iwi is made up of various hapū (clans or descent groups), which might have up to several hundred members. Traditionally, the main purposes of a hapū were to defend land, and to provide support for its members.

TOKELAU OVERVIEW

Tokelau is a non-self-governing territory of New Zealand. It is located in the Pacific Ocean north of Samoa and south of the Equator (9 00 S, 172 00 W). It is only accessible by boat, taking an estimated 28 hours to reach the closest atoll, Fakaofo, a further three hours to Nukunonu, and another six hours to Atafu.

It is made up of the three small atolls named above, separated from each other by high seas. The total land area is approximately 12 km². The total sea area of the exclusive economic zone is approximately 518,000 km². The height above sea level is between 3-5 meters, the maximum width is 200 meters. Tokelau is therefore particularly vulnerable to natural disasters and impacts of climate change such as sea-level rise.

The people of Tokelau are New Zealand citizens. Their relationship hailed by the United Nations as a model for other territories and administering countries to follow.

The population of 1499 (2016 census) is spread approximately equally among the three atolls (Atafu (541); Fakaofo (506) and Nukunonu (452). The traditional lifestyle was subsistence but Tokelau has moved to a cash economy. The only natural resource of any current economic significance is the fishery of the exclusive economic zone.

Tokelau has no main town; each island has its own administrative centre, hospital, school and basic infrastructure. There are no airstrips or harbours. Access is by ship only, through the Port of Apia, Samoa.

There are approximately 7000 Tokelauans living in New Zealand, and smaller communities live in Australia, American Samoa, Samoa, Rapa Nui, and Hawaii.

…ENDS

PNA grouping threatens to withdraw from Tuna Commission

@WCPFC14, News, News7 December 2017

By Pita Ligaiula, Manila

MANILA, 07 DECEMBER 2017 (PACNEWS)—– Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) have threatened to pull out of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) if the fishing nations and coastal states who make its membership fail to agree on new rules for all-important tropical tuna.

Current rules for the fishery – known as the Tropical Tuna Measure – expire at the end of this year.

Delegates at the WCPFC have only until the end of today to reach agreement on new rules or face the prospect of a free-for-all in the fishery.

Forum Fishery Agency and PNA countries have been working hard to achieve an agreement as has the Chair of WCPFC Rhea Moss-Christian who has come up with a compromise proposal – a new revision of her proposed Tropical Tuna Bridging Measure.

But the PNA and FFA are still frustrated by two Distant Water Fishing Nations (DWFNs) United States and Japan failure to agree on key demands.

PNA CEO Ludwig Kumoru explained how he saw progress with negotiations: “First ..I thought it wasn’t going to get anywhere. At the end of the day I thought .. we were just going to fall back to status quo (by extending the current rules). But (now) I think there has been some positive progress.”

But substantive issues that could bring the negotiations to a halt are still outstanding.

”The big ..ticket (item) which is the control on the high seas, the high seas FAD closures vs the in-zone FAD closures hasn’t been resolved yet,” Mr Kumoru said.

At the moment Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) which result in a large accidental catch of vulnerable bigeye tuna are banned in the high seas as a conservation measure.

Allowing FAD fishing, or any increase in fishing in the high seas, would have a substantial impact on vital fisheries income for PNA states and risk depleting the stock.

While the PNA is cautiously hopeful about negotiations a collapse in the talks cannot be ruled out.

In that eventuality the PNA has a clear plan.

“For PNA, and I don’t have to speak for FFA, its simple – you just pull PNA out of the commission. Take the EEZs of PNA out of the commission,” Ludwig Kumoru told journalists in Manila.

Anything is possible,” Kumoru stressed.

The FFA and PNA have a joint position for the Tropical Tuna Measure that they will not allow the stocks to be further depleted.

“Any further than that, especially for bigeye, if you relax any of those measures, it’s not good. So even though the science says that stock is in a healthy state there’s still a lot of uncertainties – so the bottom line for us is that we don’t go below what we have currently,” Kumoru explained.

Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) Director General, James Movick agreed: “The 2017 measures seemed to have achieved the conservation limit the scientists have been asking for. So that’s been good,” He said.

The FFA is also keen to see progress on rules governing the albacore tuna fishery which is important to the 11 FFA nations that are members of the Tokelau Arrangement.

“In addition to that we would like to see some progress in the southern albacore as a region. And the adoption of a target reference point would be good, even a relatively flexible or liberal one would be good – at least it begins the process, “ he said.

The FFA is also seeking commitment to move to harvest control rules – a more systematic way of managing the fishery less vulnerable to politicking – and a commitment from the commission that from 2019 it would look to the adoption of measures regarding access and allocation of High Seas rights.

But an immediate solution to high seas fishing is more urgent.

“If everything collapses there is no deal and there is no agreement to continue the 2017 measures – that would be a disaster as there would be no management regime at all in place, Mr Movick warned.

“Everyone would go out and try and harvest as much as they can and we clearly want to avoid that,” he added.

…ENDS