New foreign fishing boats “plundering” the Pacific

Apia Export Fish Packers Managing Director John Luff is calling on government to take action at a regional level to stop foreign vessels “plundering” Pacific fish stocks.

Like the rest of the region, Samoa fish stocks are collapsing because of the introduction of “hundreds” of new fishing vessels to the region, said Mr. Luff.

The increase in vessel numbers is huge and a “grave concern.” So many new vessels are fishing across the Pacific that prices are actually dropping from oversupply at the same time as foreign companies are overfishing, he said.

This is killing domestic fishing fleets. That in turn hurts local economies, with Mr. Luff stating that his company alone contributes some $6 million tala, including $2.1 million in staff pay. He was responding to questions from Samoa Observer about the background reasons for shutting his company down “temporarily”.

“Our company would normally weather this storm and continue operating through this period, albeit unprofitably, this year due to much lower than normal catch rates we are forced like many others to discontinue.”

Domestic catch rates have dropped because so much tuna and other migratory species are being caught outside Exclusive Economic Zones (E.E.Z.) in international waters, he said.

“Without doubt, the greatest player in the decline of domestic catch rates both in Samoa and around the region is the introduction of many hundreds of Foreign Licensed Fishing Vessels into the central South Pacific. And, he adds, “many hundreds is not an exaggeration.”

Mr. Luff again accused China of being a leading threat to the security of fish stocks in the Pacific Ocean.

He referred to “the long term negative impact foreign license fishing vessels (F.L.F.V.) will and are having to the region’s domestic fisheries.

“These vessels are mostly heavily subsidized Chinese.” State subsidies of their own fishing fleet meant that Chinese fishing boats were paying half the fuel prices of boats in Samoa.

“The impact of a large and increasing number of F.L.F.V. in and around our region is of grave concern.

“Because of the highly migratory nature off all tuna particularly Albacore, large concentrated numbers of vessels engaged in fishing, what is essentially the same stock, although they may be several hundred miles away, have the same long term effect as if they were fishing, for instance, in Samoa’s E.E.Z. “Over the past several months all of Samoa’s domestic fishing vessels and those from around our region have experience a continual decline in catch rates and vessel profitability.

“This has now reached a level whereby it is uneconomic to continue fishing. Our company along with many others have taken the unprecedented step of temporarily tying up all of our local vessels.”

In pointing at China, Mr. Luff drew back from public statements last year accusing the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries of negotiating access to Samoa waters for Chinese fishing vessels.

“After past meetings with our Fisheries Division we can be well satisfied that they had no knowledge nor would [they] support any such introduction of any foreign license vessel into Samoa’s E.E.Z. “I must add, we are most fortunate that Samoa’s Fisheries Division has well thought out and effective polices in place to ensure the long term viability of our extremely valuable fish stocks. “It is a sad indictment that many of our neighbours do not have this same resolve.”

Across the region, news reports show that some fishing agreements have been decided at the ministerial level, against ministry and other expert advice. Mr. Luff warned against anything similar happening here, at the same time calling for Samoa to take action at the regional level. “Several months ago I made a public comment relating to the possible introduction of Chinese fishing vessels into Samoa’s EEZ, at the time this comment was made there were very good grounds for such a conclusion to be drawn.

“I note you have used extracts from these comments and from those extracts readers might imply our Fisheries Division was involved with such discussions. “I can advise with certainty that this was not the case.” Like others around the region, Mr. Luff is now focused on the impacts from foreign vessels fishing in international borders.

His concerns echoes those expressed in ongoing media reports about Chinese, Spanish, Taiwanese and Korean fishing boats clustering at the very edges of Exclusive Economic Zones and hauling in huge catches. Former Samoa-based reporter Michael Field headlined one story “Satellites spot Pacific fishing horror”, reporting “shock” at the scale of fishing going on outside New Zealand and other Pacific waters.

One “super” factory ship featuring in recent news is a former oil tanker converted in 2008 at the cost of US$100 million that can take on 1,500 tons of fish each day, with a total capacity of 49,367 gross tons – the world’s largest.

In 2012, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists released a major report – ahead of its more recent offshore expose – uncovering what it said was a 90 per cent drop in one fish species, Jack mackerel, from what scientists estimate was a 30 million ton stock to just 3 million tons.

The South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation is one group attempting to gain agreement on fishing limits. So far, however, only two Pacific Island countries – the Cook Islands and Vanuatu – have signed on with regional and international partners, Australia, Belize, Chile, China, Cuba, the European Union, Denmark, Korea, New Zealand, Russia, and Taipei.

Only six countries have ratified the agreement. Other fishing agreements have similarly mixed success, with some island states breaking treaties to sign deals with foreign fishers. Meantime, large fleets with huge ships are stripping fish stocks faster than is sustainable, critics allege. Mr. Luff is one of those critics, saying the foreign ships are having an impact on Samoa and other fisheries.

“The last 12 months have seen a substantial drop in the cannery price for Albacore.

“Albacore represents a very large volume of Samoa’s total fish exports.

“This drop has been largely brought about by the oversupply to the canneries from distant water fleets operating in and around the region’s economic zones,” he said.

“This influx is continuing at an accelerated rate.” As well as killing fishery stocks, the subsidised fleets are killing domestic fishing companies.

“It is most difficult for local domestic fleets to compete under these conditions,” said Mr. Luff.

“The operators of these vessels are showing no consideration for the long term health of South Pacific tuna stocks nor that of local domestic fisheries. At a recent high level meeting, Mr. Luff claimed that the Chinese delegation stated they would begin talks on conservation measures when they have another 200 vessels in the fishery. “It has been stated they intend to achieve this by 2015. It is the belief of all involved in the catching sector of the industries from around the region that if this expansion is not halted and reversed domestic fleets will over time become uneconomic and ultimately cease to exist.”

Mr. Luff said that regional governments need to follow Samoa’s example and restrict access to local companies, banning foreign fishers, known in the industry as Distant Water Fishing Vessels (D.W.F.V.). “There are domestic fleets from all around the region tied up not operating due to economics, yet we are surrounded by hundreds of D.W.F.V. who are continuing to fish.

“There is something very seriously wrong with this picture,” he said. “Our fish stocks are not an infinite resource, if we allow them to be “sold off” or stand back and watch with arms folded while they are plundered, when they are gone, at worst, they are gone forever, at best , will require generations to recover. “I find it very difficult to understand why the threat to our fish stocks has not commanded much greater attention from those that have the ability to intervene, aggressively if necessary.

“If they are to survive in anything like a healthy state it will take considerable and collective political will from all governments and industry leaders to quickly find a solution to this very real threat to both South Pacific fish stocks and local domestic fisheries.”

Action taken now could still avert the collapse of fish stocks, and the domestic fishing fleets. “In short, if all F.L.F.V. were removed from the South Pacific there is little doubt domestic fisheries would recover almost overnight.”

Mr. Luff acknowledges that there are seasonal cycles, as well as decadal cycles to fish stocks. There is a well documented but not fully understood several year cyclic pattern to the South Pacific Albacore Tuna stock, the last being a low experienced in 2004 – 2005, said Mr. Luff. “It is probable we are now in a similar low but fortunately, if we follow past statistics, about to come out the other side.”

“There is also a very seasonal cycle that effects our fisheries.” During the months of January through to April, often referred to as the “low season”, catch rates are traditionally very low, particularly in February, he said. However these cycles are being disrupted by overfishing. Allowing this to continue will hurt the economy, he said.

“It is not generally realized the economic benefits that the regions (including Samoa) domestic fleets have on local economies, our company alone and we are small compared to many, injects on average over $6 m Tala into the local economy per year, $2.1 m of this being local wages and salaries.”