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Lolo warns tuna fishery closure holds ‘severely negative impacts’

Tuna boats in port, American Samoa, 2009
Source: Undercurrent News

Washington, D.C. — The US National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has announced the tuna purse seine fishery in the "Effort Limit Area for Purse Seine" (ELAPS) will close as of Oct. 9.

The rule was passed on Oct. 1, as a result of vessels reaching the 2019 limit on purse seine fishing effort in the ELAPS. "This action is necessary for the United States to implement provisions of a conservation and management measure adopted by the Commission for the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean," it said.

However, American Samoa's governor, Lolo Moliga, has written to Michael Tosatto -- regional administrator for the NMFS in the Pacific Islands -- asking for the rule to be "corrected".

The cessation of fishing in the ELAPS until the turn of the year will have a negative impact on the tuna-dependent economy of his nation, wrote Loliga.

"It will hurt the purse seiners based in American Samoa, along with our tuna processors who depend on the catch from those boats."

This includes US tuna firm StarKist & Co, which has a cannery on the islands. It has long struggled with raw material supply issues, and as a result of the $100 million fine for having engaged in a price-fixing conspiracy may look at moving out of American Samoa to Thailand, or carrying out layoffs.

Loloa argued there is a significant error in NMFS interim rule, as it wrongly assumes there is no adverse impact from the ELAPS closure.

The cessation of fishing in the ELAPS until the turn of the year will have a negative impact on the tuna-dependent economy of his nation, wrote Loliga.

"It will hurt the purse seiners based in American Samoa, along with our tuna processors who depend on the catch from those boats."

This includes US tuna firm StarKist & Co, which has a cannery on the islands. It has long struggled with raw material supply issues, and as a result of the $100 million fine for having engaged in a price-fixing conspiracy may look at moving out of American Samoa to Thailand, or carrying out layoffs.

Lolo argued there is a significant error in NMFS interim rule, as it wrongly assumes there is no adverse impact from the ELAPS closure.

"With the closure of the high seas, it is probable that the vessels will need to move further to the east or west and will begin to operate outside of the range to economically return to deliver their catch to American Samoa."

There are, he said, alternatives to the closure. One would be to use the "small island developing state" (SIDS) designation of American Samoa to exempt US-flagged purse seiners that deliver 50% or more of their catch to American Samoa from the ELAPS limits.

Read more at Undercurrent News