A key milestone in the historic Tuna Treaty between the Pacific Island States and the United States has been reached this week with a fishing access arrangement for 2024 signed off.
The Memorandum of Understanding provides for the United States fleet operating under the Treaty to continue fishing in the Exclusive Economic Zones of the Pacific Island Parties in 2024, pending the formal adoption of the agreed amendments and revised text of the Treaty for 2025 onwards.
Speaking at the launch of the MOU, the Pacific Island Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) Director General, Dr Manu Tupou-Roosen said the treaty is valuable.
“The increased support being provided to Pacific Island Parties through the Treaty is timely and much needed with the ongoing economic challenges and dealing with the environmental impacts of climate change that are all too real in the Pacific region,” Dr Tupou-Roosen said.
“The signing of the MOU is significant because it underlines the great importance that our Pacific Island Parties and the United States place on the continued partnership. It also creates the space for the Parties to finalise the work on a revised Treaty for 2025 and beyond. Further, it paves the way for enhanced collaboration between the Parties in key areas such as combating illegal fishing and tackling climate change.”
The revised Treaty package provides for a new funding of US$60 million per annum to be contributed by the United States Government for the next 10 years (2023-2033) and a further amount paid by industry. This event is expected to be done in the second quarter of 2024.
In addition to this annual payment, the United States Government had agreed to provide US$10 million in 2023 for economic development funds which included funds for climate change related projects to be distributed equally to the Pacific Island Parties.
“We thank the United States and look forward to our continued collaboration on sustainably managing, developing and protecting our tuna resources for future generations,” said Dr Tupou-Roosen.
10 of the 17 Parties of the Treaty – Pacific Island States and the United States of America signed the document in person while the other 7 Parties will have the opportunity to sign the MOU later.
The treaty was first signed in June 1988 and has been operating for about 36 years. The new treaty with the financial arrangement is for the next 10 years until June 2033.
