Micronesia hosts fishing meetings with Japan, Taiwan

PALIKIR, Pohnpei (FSM Information Service) — The Micronesian Fisheries Authority (MFA) hosted a series of consultation meetings in Palikir January 8-12 to discuss issues relating to its bilateral fishing agreements with Japan and Taiwan.

The fishing agreements generate $14 million to $16 million per year for the FSM.

Under the agreements with Japan and Taiwan, each party has the right to call for consultations to discuss matters concerning implementation of the agreements or significant matters that require the parties’ immediate attention.

Japan requested a consultation meeting to discuss administrative procedures that will allow smoother implementation of the agreement over the next few years, including the use of electronic mail.

The meeting was between MFA and the three major Japanese fisheries organizations: the National Offshore Tuna Cooperative Association, Japan Far Seas Purse Seine Fishing Association, and the Federation of Japan Tuna Cooperative Association.

Eugene Pangelinan, Deputy Director of MFA, said the Authority introduced several new items for discussion during the meeting that included “a broader spectrum of cooperation” in the fishing industry.

The FSM sought to increase the number of Micronesians working on Japanese purse seiners as deck crew.

Pangelinan said there were currently 55 FSM citizens, including trainees, working on board Japanese vessels. The authority requested an increase in the numbers over the next few years. Pangelinan added that another 10 would be leaving for Japan in April to attend a training course.

Another item introduced during the discussions was the newly developed Vessel Monitoring System that, according to Pangelinan, “is a new management tool being used to monitor the movement of licensed fishing vessels operating in the FSM EEZ using satellite technology.”

Pangelinan said the FSM was developing “regulations to manage the VMS that are being implemented by the FSM as a condition for access to the FSM EEZ.”

The Japanese consultation meeting concluded with an MOU signed between the two parties to add the use of e-mail technology as a communication method under the access agreement.

The Taiwan Deep Sea Tuna Boatowners and Exporters Association had requested a similar consultation meeting in October 2000, but due to the absence of a Board of Directors, the meeting did not take place until now.

The major thrust behind Taiwan’s request for consultation, said Deputy Director Pangelinan, was the fact that

“Taiwan’s purse seiner industry, in general, is facing financial hardships due to the staggeringly low fish prices which have existed for the past 12-14 months.

“The Taiwan purse seiners are seeking a reduction of their access fees until the fish prices return to their normal levels,” he said.

Skipjack prices usually range between $700 – $1,000 per ton, but since 1998, prices have fallen below $500 per ton. For the past 12 months the prices have remained between $350 – $450 per ton.

On a yearly basis, according to Pangelinan, Taiwan purse seiners normally have 40 boats licensed in the FSM by this time, but so far only 31 licenses have been issued.

The Taiwan agreement normally generates about $3.2 million a year for the FSM, but given the weakening prices for skipjack caught by purse seiners, some of Taiwan’s vessels are tied up indefinitely awaiting a rebound in prices.