Marine and Wildlife Resources director Dr. Ruth Matagi-Tofiga, who heads the American Samoa delegation to the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission conference, says there was no objection to a local longline association’s application for observer status during the WCPFC week-long meeting, which closed yesterday in Apia, Samoa.

Longline boat owner and member of the Tautai o Samoa Longline & Fishing Association, Carlos Sanchez said he and other association members attended the WCPFC meeting as observers representing the U.S. longline fleet, not American Samoa longliners.

Sanchez said Wednesday afternoon via email from Apia, that they applied directly to the WCPFC for observer status to attend the meeting, due to differences with the current administration concerning the longline fleet in American Samoa.

“We were granted this status even though there was an attempt by the Director of the DMWR to block our application, saying that we should be under the American Samoa delegation,” he said. (See yesterday’s edition for details).

Asked for reaction or comments to Sanchez’s claim, Matagi-Tofiga explained that when Tautai applied to the WCPFC for observer status, the Commission’s Finance and Administrative Officer informed her — as head of the American Samoa delegation — that the association “submitted their application close to the meeting date, [and] they are not able to attend as observers per their (WCPFC) regulations.” (The week-long meeting started on Dec. 1.)

“Further ... other delegations, [and] these association(s) attend as part of [a] delegation. I informed the Officer, that the Tautai association had not contacted me to be part of the American Samoa delegation,” she said Wednesday evening via email from Apia.

Asked if there was “an attempt” on her part “to block” the association's application, Matagi-Tofiga said that during the Head of Delegation, meeting Tautai’s request was brought up “and there was no objection for observer status”.

She added, “When we talk about longliners, we talk about all the longliners that are home based in American Samoa” and pointed out that 54 permits were issued for longliners and 20 are active.

Tautai O Samoa is among the 50-plus international and non government organizations that the WCPFC has agreed to participate in Commission sessions and its subsidiary bodies as Observers, according to the commission's List of Observers. Also on the list of Observers, are the Parties to the Nauru Agreement, Forum Fisheries Agency, Hawaii Longline Association and American Tunaboat Association.