Comment:

Tuna: Getting our fair share

The grouping of fishing nations under the Te Vaka Moana banner is seen as Polynesian’s response to the grouping formed earlier by the Melanesian nations led by PNG and including Vanuatu, Nauru and The Solomons.
That grouping under the PNA banner-Parties to the Nauru Agreement, - seeks to become a force in the Tuna industry similar to OPEC in the oil industry. The PNA’s aim is to set and control the world price of Tuna to ensure a fairer portion of revenue from sales flows back to these countries.
The PNA group’s collective EEZ in the Western Pacific, is said to contain over half the world’s Tuna.
Over fishing elsewhere has seen fishing fleets from distant countries showing increasing interest in the Pacific.
Other nations generate over $1.2 billion from sales of Pacific Tuna unlike the Pacific nations themselves who fetch only a small fraction of this amount.
Te Vaka Moana, in the Eastern Pacific, becomes yet another sub group under the FFA-Forum Fishing Agency -which represents the overall fishing interests of 22 Pacific nations.
The establishment of Polynesia’s new group could be interpreted as an indication that it wants a greater say in the setting of any world prices for Tuna. Also, any future manipulation of production by the larger nations like PNG, to force up prices has ramifications for small nations whose economies can be greatly affected by even small changes in the industry.
This is especially concerning to the Cook Islands whose fishing industry is in the development stage.
With Tuna being a migratory resource (akin to a bank on wheels) it is in all Pacific nations interest that their collective EEZ be secure against outside exploitation and the optimum return regards revenue be ensured.
Politically the formation of Te Vaka Moana in the Eastern Pacific should be seen as an extension of the PNA initiative to protect a key revenue generating resource.
The EEZ is the revenue generating company and the Pacific nations are the shareholders.
Since the establishment of Te Vaka Moana, a further Polynesian sub grouping Te Vaka Toa (see media release above) has been formed to police the collective EEZ.
Political rumblings
These movements are leading to a possible political consolidation of Polynesian nations. The concept is not new however, the Samoan Prime Minister alluded to it Radio Australia on Friday morning (CI time). The Samoan PM said it may come up for discussion at the Forum Leaders meeting in NZ in September.
This development could be seen as a response to the Melanesian nation’s formation of “The Melanesian Spear Head Group.”
It is an issue which certainly needs to be debated between now and September.
Should such a group of Polynesian nations be formed, interest will lie in which nations are included. For example, would Hawaii, Wallis and Futuna and Tahiti be included? What about Tuvalu and the island of Rotuma?
The group’s name will also be of interest. The Melanesian group has adopted the spear. Polynesia’s strength lies in cultural identity and knowledge, progress through understanding and partnership and achievement through peace and unity.

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