Regional arrangements for management and development of tuna in the Pacific Islands: the case study of Palau arrangement and the Federated States of Micronesia arrangement

Tuna fisheries provides an important source of income, foreign exchange and employment for many Pacific Island States. It is also seen as a major avenue for industrial development by most Pacific Island States. The Law of the Sea Convention, while recognising the rights of coastal States to manage and develop tuna resources within their EEZs also obligates these States to co-operate with other States in the management and development of the resources. The Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) and its sub-regional group, the PNA (Parties to the Nauru Agreement) provide an interesting case study of regional co-operation on tuna. Through the Palau Arrangement and the FSM Arrangement, the PNA group illustrate attempts to manage and develop their purse seine fisheries. This paper provides a brief background to these arrangements and their implementation. It shows the Group’s motivation to cooperate to develop uniform strategies to help each other and also points out the hurdles the Island States encounter when participating in a highly sophisticated industrial fishery. The paper states that the Arrangements if modified in light of the Western Central Pacific Fisheries Convention have the potential to strengthen these States position to better negotiate with Fishing Nations to achieve their objectives. The case study highlights three important and interrelated components of sustainable regional fisheries development: management objectives to be based on sound scientific principles using a precautionary approach, the need for institutional mechanisms for co-operation within the core group and the wider group, and a more defined rights-based fisheries management framework