Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi, says hard decisions need to be made to ensure the long-term conservation of the billion-dollar tuna industry.What’s more, he has urged officials attending the 11th Regular session of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (W.C.P.F.C.) to “avoid cynicism” if they want to achieve a positive outcome.The Prime Minister made the point when he spoke to officially open the five-day Commission meeting being held at the Upolu Hall of the Faleata S.I.D.S Complex.“Much of the success of any measure the Commission puts in place will depend on the commitment and compliance of all parties and especially the adherence by the fishing industry,” Tuilaepa said.“Therefore, hard decisions need to be made to give meaning to the principal objective of the Tuna Commission to ensure the long term conservation and sustainable use of highly migratory fish stocks in the Western and Central Pacific ocean.”According to the Prime Minister, evidence indicates that fisheries in other regions are severely overfished.“The Pacific fisheries clearly face the same danger. But it is not too late to manage the Pacific fisheries resources to be sustainably harvested into the foreseeable future.“However, it would require everyone represented in this hall to avoid cynicism and instead to work and cooperate together in the spirit of genuine and durable Partnership, to heed the lessons and avoid the mistakes made in other regions in the exploitation of their fish stocks.The Prime Minister reiterated that fisheries resource represents a most significant natural resource for all the Pacific countries with many of the economies relying heavily on fish and fish products.“It is incumbent upon all of us, both members and cooperating non-members, to work together in the true spirit of genuine and durable Partnership to ensure our fish stocks remain healthy for current and future generations,” he said.“I understand an important issue before you this week is a strengthened and enhanced conservation and management measure for the South Pacific albacore.”“South Pacific albacore is the most important target species for many island countries in the region, Samoa included.”“In order to maintain the long-term sustainability and economic viability of the fishery for South Pacific albacore, and to ensure livelihoods for local fishermen, it is important that stronger and more effective fisheries management arrangements for the South Pacific albacore are agreed at this meeting.”A meeting highlight is the signing of the “Tokelau Arrangement on Fisheries”; an agreement that acknowledges the sovereign authority of each of the signatory coastal states, over their exclusive economic zones. “In signing the TokelauArrangement, Samoa, like other signatories, actively contributes to the cooperating effort to conserve and manage albacore, an important fishery to the Pacific Islands.”The Prime Minister stressed that the issue of compliance to conservation and management measures as well as timely reporting are equally important.“Illegal, unreported and unregulated or IUU fishing in the high seas and in the Convention area, continue to threaten and undermine fisheries conservation and management efforts by both national fisheries administrations and regional organizations.”In closing, the Prime Minister said he supports the Commission rules that require that the annual session of the Commission should be held at the Commission headquarters unless the Commission decides otherwise.He said, “The reason for holding the Commission in the Pacific is obvious as custodians of the resources and its environment.”“In order to preserve those rules and the principle that as many Commission meetings be held in the Pacific region, Samoa stands ready and willing to avail its services and these facilities before you, for that purpose.”The W.C.P.F.C was established by the Convention for the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPF Convention) which entered into force on 19 June 2004. TheW.C.P.F.C Convention seeks to address problems in the management of high seas fisheries resulting from unregulated fishing, over-capitalization, excessive fleet capacity, vessel re-flagging to escape controls, insufficiently selective gear, unreliable databases and insufficient multilateral cooperation in respect to conservation and management of highly migratory fish stocks.The members of the convention are: Australia, China, Canada, Cook Islands, European Union, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, France, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand,Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Chinese Taipei, Tonga, Tuvalu, United States of America, Vanuatu.