The Managing Director of a leading fish exporting company in Samoa has lamented what he describes as the failure of the Western Central Pacific Fisheries Commission to protect the Pacific’s most valuable natural resource.John Luff, of Apia Export Fish Packers Ltd., says that while the Commission had good ideas at the start, their focus on conservation and resource management has somehow shifted.“I personally don’t think they’ve done a good job in that area, particularly when it comes to licensing issues,” he tells the Samoa Observer.“You know some of these nations plying for the South Pacific’s most valuable natural resource are very powerful and smaller nations are reluctant to upset them for fear of losing their candy so they don’t necessarily vote as they should.“In my opinion, their focus is not entirely, if at all, on conservation.”Mr. Luff’s comments come at a time when officials are descending on Samoa’s shores for the 11th Regular Session of the Commission for the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific.It was not possible to get a comment from the Commission yesterday.But Mr. Luff said there is a lot they can do to help.“They need to listen to the scientists, they need to look at all the facts and figures in front of them and make the right decisions,” he said.“Without doubt, the biggest single issue affecting the region’s tuna stocks is the huge influx of foreign license vessels in and around the Pacific.“A lot of these are subsidizing Chinese. They are not here for nothing.“Most of the other oceans resources around the world have been seriously depleted, many have been fished to the brink of extinction and unless a very firm stand is taken, the same thing will happen in the Pacific.”Mr. Luff said there are just article after article about overfishing, which anybody can read.“There are dozens and dozens of them relating to the warning signs,” he said.“Many of the decisions made that have a strong influence on the South Pacific Tuna Resources are based not on the future health of the resource but rather appear to be more politically motivated.“There needs to be some really strong measures and political will to halt the current expansions that will surely lead to the demise of South Pacific Tuna stocks.“Everybody in this industry agrees that it’s being overfished. South Pacific Tuna is being overfished, but there is little being done about it. While I have the answer, it would be extremely difficult to be accepted or implemented.”The future is bleak, says Mr. Luff.“In ten years time when the fishery has been depleted as it surely will be if we stay on this current track, we will look up at the very fine but deteriorating buildings that have been constructed for us, then look back at the empty fish market and wonder, “was this really worth it?”Locally, Mr. Luff dispels misconceptions that there is something special with Samoa’s Exclusive Economic Zone.“Though Samoa’s Exclusive Economic Zone is one of the smallest in the Pacific, the catch is generally good largely because of the efficiency of Samoa’s fishermen.”Responding to a report of the Ministry of Finance’s latest Quarterly Economic Report that more than 25 per cent of fishermen in Samoa are out of work, he said: “I think that it had actually dropped way before that. A large amount of Samoa’s catch was in the past attributed to the small alia.“They used to, when catches were very good, collectively catch large amounts of fish contributing much to the Samoa economy.“There used to be hundred or so operating back in the 2000s but now they are a handful.”The increasing fuel costs, rising operation costs and the price of the tuna are among the factors that forced the operation of the small alias to almost cease.Mr. Luff said the biggest single factor affecting domestic fisheries throughout the region is over fishing predominantly by subsidized overseas distant water fishing nations.