Lt. Gov. Lemanu Peleti Mauga says governments of our region should gear their policies toward the needs of Pacific islanders, and has called on Pacific island countries to “share our resources” in order to grow our economies. Lemanu was speaking at last Friday’s luncheon hosted by Tri Marine International at their Samoa Tuna Processors facility in Atu’u for the more than 20 representatives and officials of island countries invited by ASG and the canneries to the Tuna Industry Open House.

The invitation to the off island delegation are now in Apia, Samoa attending the 11th Regular Session of the Western & Central Pacific Fisheries Commission meeting, which opened Monday, gave them the opportunity to tour StarKist Samoa, Tri Marine International and the ASG shipyard facilities to see first hand that American Samoa’s economy is dependent on the fisheries industry.

Among the U.S. representatives in the group were U.S. Commerce Department senior official Russell Smith and Kitty Simonds, the executive director of the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (WPFMC).

New Zealand’s Ambassador for Pacific Economic Development Shane Jones, and Niue's Minister of Natural Resources, Elisara Pita, were also part of the delegation, which was welcomed first at an ava ceremony Friday morning at the Fale Samoa at Utulei Beach, where Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga expressed his thanks to the group for accepting the territory’s invitation.

One big concern for American Samoa is the reduction of fishing days for US vessels in the EEZ of the South Pacific islands of Kiribati, under a new fishing treaty agreement signed last month between the U.S. and FFA’s 17 member countries.

During the luncheon, Port Administration director Taimalelagi Dr. Claire Tuia Poumele explained the reason for the delegation being invited to American Samoa and how it was first planned with the assistance of the WPFMC.

She thanked Samoa, the host country of the Commission meeting, for allowing the group to make this side trip to the territory to see first hand the local fishing and canning industry, which is the backbone of American Samoa’s economy.  Samoa government representatives were also a part of the delegation.

In his remarks, Lemanu told the delegation, “If you don’t know why we brought you here… let me put it in simple terms: We need everybody’s help.”  Island people have two main resources to depend on, he said — “land and sea.”

“We would like to share our resources [so] can we can keep the economy growing, that’s why we asked you to come to American Samoa. To see what we have, to see what we have to provide for you,” he said adding that what American Samoa has is a fishing industry.

He said policies set by the federal government on fisheries have an impact on American Samoa, and the “mother country” is not fully aware of the way of life for residents of the territory.

Lemanu pointed out that American Samoa would like to open its resources to other Pacific Islands and that he hopes policies governing fishing in the region are geared towards the needs of Pacific Islanders.

He recalled that in olden days, when islanders would come together to share, the whole family came together to share, but now it's much different. “In essence relations eroded,” he said.

Lemanu also said that he remembers those times years ago when he could paddle a canoe from here to Samoa “with no restrictions... I could paddle from here to the next island — no restrictions. You can go here and there fishing — no questions asked.”

But now, “our governments” have different political set ups and policies in which “you can’t cross this boundary” or “you can’t come here because that’s my fish,” he said.

“So we would like to open up our resources to the islands of the Pacific,” he told the gathering, adding that he knows that the delegates want to grow their countries’ individual economies but there are a lot of rules and laws for each respective country to deal with.

He called for Pacific islanders to find a way so “we can come together collaboratively and see how we can share our resource — the ocean.”

“I know sometimes a lot of things are beyond our control,” he said, adding that American Samoa faces the same thing with its mother country, the U.S. who sets up laws and policies far away from American Samoa “but they don’t understand the way we live, they don’t know how we live. We know how, we understand what we need.”

TRI MARINE

Speaking on behalf of Tri Marine, the company’s managing director, Phil Roberts thanked everyone who helped organize the event, including ASG, the WPFMC and the canneries. He also thanked officials and representatives of Pacific countries who took the time to travel to the territory for the open house.

He reminded the audience that some of them may have visited the Tri Marine site three years ago when the reconstruction and renovation had just begun to the old COS Samoa Packing cannery site, making way for Samoa Tuna Processors.

Between three years ago and today, many improvements have been made, he said, adding that he hopes that some of the officials and representatives in the delegation will return again when cannery operations will be up and running. 

Samoa Tuna Processors $70 million cannery plant is set to open in January next year; and over the weekend, Tri Marine’s chief executive officer, Joe Hamby was on island to check on the progress of the work.

In a joint news release with ASG issued over the weekend regarding the off island delegation visit, Tri Marine’s board chairman and CEO, Renato Curto said the company is “incredibly proud" of its new cannery plant.

“It allows our company to serve our customers with a fully vertically integrated supply chain, with full traceability and compliance with the highest levels of chain of custody requirements,” he said.

Renato also said the cannery is a great addition to the company’s ongoing leadership in improving sustainability and transparency in the tuna industry and “is a clear symbol of our long-term commitment to the American Samoa community and the region.”

In the same news release the Governor’s Office says Friday’s event underscored the strategic role that American Samoa plays in the region’s tuna fishery with its canneries, repair facilities and deep-water harbor.

Marine and Wildlife Resources director Dr. Ruth Matagi-Tofiga said it’s “incredibly important for the health of our fishery to recognize American Samoa’s commitment to the tuna industry, its long-term sustainability and the many jobs it supports in the region.”

Lolo added that he is always pleased to see island communities come together and recognize the “importance of our relationships both culturally and economically.”

“I look forward to continuing to build upon our strong relationships for the betterment of all our communities,” he said.

Meanwhile, the territory’s delegation attending this week’s Commission meeting in Samoa includes Taimalelagi; Matagi-Tofiga and Commerce Department director Keniseli Lafaele.

BACKGROUND

At a time when American Samoa is asking for ‘consideration’ and sharing of resources among Pacific islands, during the WPFMC meeting in Samoa this week, the meeting itself is seen by many in the Pacific islands to be a showdown between them and distant water fishing nations over management of the world’s largest tuna fishery — with Pacific islands said to want to limit catches of tuna to maintain stocks they say are in danger from over-fishing.

The commission is said to be unable to agree to measures that would limit fishing to what scientists have set as sustainable levels.

The WCPFC membership includes distant water fishing nations from Asia, the United States, and the European Union, and many small Pacific islands, New Zealand and Australia.

Battle lines are said to have been drawn between nations that historically controlled fishing in the region and Pacific islands that have banded together, such as the Parties to the Nauru Agreement and the FFA, to wield greater influence in the tuna industry.

At stake, Pacific islands say, are the fishing grounds (in the central and western Pacific Ocean) estimated to provide nearly 60 percent of the tuna for the worldwide fisheries in 2013, and said to be worth about $6 billion annually.