Fish Treaty

The Region

Tuna accord moves ahead

THE SOUTH Pacific fisheries treaty governing migratory tuna catches, which will boost the incomes of participating states has moved a step nearer fruition.

At a US Senate foreign relations com mittee hearing this month the treaty re ceived a favourable reception which augured well for it getting the full stamp of approval when empowering legislation eventually moves through the American Congress, possibly before the end of November.

The treaty was the result of two years of complex and difficult negotiations be tween the United States and 16 Pacific states and will eventually result in the United States, through fishing licences and aid funds, providing SUS6O million over five years to be spread among the coun tries which ratify the treaty.

It was fought out against a background of worsened American relations with the South Pacific, caused in part by the poaching habits of Southern California fishermen in the southwest Pacific, and at a time when the Soviet Union saw an op portunity to extend its influence through fishing agreements with Kiribati and Vanuatu.

The fishing treaty was signed in April in Papua New Guinea but has to have ap proval of the United States Congress be fore it can become law.

Edward Derwinski, who oversaw the American side of the negotiations, told the Senate committee it was an important step in United States relations with the South Pacific, “and should eliminate, for its du ration, the serious foreign policy irritants caused by differing jurisdictional claims over tuna”.

Under the terms of the treaty US-flag vessels will pay SUSSO,OOO a year each in licence fees to fish tuna in some 10 million square miles of the South Pacific, most of which is within the 200 mile exclusive economic zones of the island states.

The US tuna industry has guaranteed SUS 1.75 m in licence fees the first year and is also required to provide technical as sistance of $U5250,000 annually.

As well, the United States provides an aid package of SUSIOm for five years to the South Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) which in turn disburses it to the par ticipating states. The assistance will be in the form of a cash transfer of which SUS 1 m will be used for development projects.

Legislation to bring the treaty into law has still to be introduced into both the House of Representatives and the Senate but promoters are hopeful it will not en counter any last minute opposition and will be passed into law later in the year.D