July 14, 2016 — At the Pacific Island Development Forum Leaders Summit Tuesday, the Parties to the Nauru Agreement CEO told the delegates sustainable management of fish was key to self-determination for Pacific peoples.
PNA Chief Executive Officer Transform Aqorau challenged leaders to obtain what he called “true independence” by self determination, indigenous management of ocean resources, South-South cooperation and ending donor dependency. “We must manage our ocean resources to promote self determination and not perpetuate dependency on others. Let us manage our oceans and harness our natural resources to create a sense of self reliance. The PNA has transformed fisheries rights from a market controlled by the others to a market where rights are firmly held in favor of our members,” Aqorau said. The PNA established the Vessel Day Scheme (VDS) where a set number of fishing days are traded and sold. This enables control of tuna supply and increased revenue from tuna fishing. Aqorau gave an example of the benefits from the tiniest player in the PNA member countries – Tokelau, which was only getting $900,000 a year from foreign fishing vessels accessing its waters. Now, as part of the PNA, Tokelau has around $10 million a year in revenue from fisheries. Kiribati for a long time received around $26 million a year and now earns around $200 million per year in revenue.