FFA’s fishy dealings

Dear Sir, It’s interesting to see your rival magazine trumpeting the cause for the Forum Fisheries Agency. Obviously, this must be due to the advertising dollar being paid across.

International companies which don’t advertise in Islands Business generally cop a caning. This is something akin to the government corruption which Islands Business prides itself on exposing.

Let’s have a look at the other side of the coin when it comes to the FFA and it’s “achievements”: • FFA’s economics guru is hellbent on getting more money paid into Pacific Island government coffers by the fishing industry. A great cause indeed. However, a few years ago when a bank debit tax was being mooted in the Solomon Islands, the FFA was apparently quite serious about moving funds offshore to Vanuatu to avoid this tax. Look in the mirror, boys. • Most fishing industries almost only hear from the FFA when it comes time to pay licensing fees. For the rest of the year,