Tuna catch in Vanuatu EEZ drops below average

A ministerial order for the amendment of the Vanuatu Fisheries regulation has resulted in an increase of license fees for long line fishery, an initiative to increase revenue but at the same time ensure long sustainable utilization of tuna resources.

The Acting Director of the Fisheries Department, William Naviti has informed that between 2014 and April 2015 the catch per unit of effort fishing in the Vanuatu Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) has been below average hence the lack of further interest by foreign fishing vessels to buy licences at this point in time.

“The 2015 licence fees for foreign (FFV) and locally-based foreign fishing vessels (LBFVF) have in fact increased particularly for the long line fishery which is our principal fishery targeting mainly albacore tuna and to a lesser extent yellow fin tuna and even so for big eye tuna,” explained Naviti.

“The increase is related to a desire for Government to increase revenue from issuing foreign fishing licences while aiming to control fishing effort at levels that will ensure long sustainable utilization of tuna resources within Vanuatu,” he said.

According to the recent amendment, tuna long line licence fees for FFV have increased to US$30,000 (Vt3 million) for vessels with gross registered tons (GRT) of less than or equal to 100 GRT, vessels with more than 100 but less than 400 GRT and vessels more than 400 GRT.

These different sizes of vessels have different lesser fees ranging from US$15,000 to US$24,000, depending on vessel size before the amendment.

For LBFVF, tuna long line licence fees have also increased from US$9,000 to USD12,000 for vessels with less than or equal to 100 GRT, US$11,000 to US$15,000 for vessels more than 100 GRT but less than 400 GRT and US$20,000 to US$21,000 for vessels more with more than 400 GRT.

“Compared to the long line fishery, fishing by purse seiners, pole liners, fishing using other methods, research and exploratory fishing, has been rare or none at all over the past ten years,” said Naviti.

The amendment also sees fees for LBFFV purse seiners, pole liners, other methods, research fishing, and exploratory fishing have remained the same while that for FFV have dropped.

Acting Director Naviti explained that “Vanuatu now has a new national policy for the management of Vanuatu tuna called the Revised Tuna Fishery Management Plan (August 2014).

“In the plan it recommends that an annual total allowable effort of 70 long line licences. In the past Vanuatu used to regularly issue between 100 to 140 fishing licences at US$5,000 per licence. However during this licencing year (2015) Vanuatu has issued to date 41 foreign fishing vessel licenses to mainly vessels flying the flag of the P.R.O.C. attached to Sino-Van Fisheries Ltd with the fees collected in January 2015 amounting around Vt80 million (US$746,894),” he said.

According to Naviti, the consequence the of the decrease in the catch per unit of effort fishing in the Vanuatu EEZ may be due to a combination of factors such as the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) effect, low fish recruitment, and just simply too much fishing effort for too fewer fish to catch in the wider Pacific Ocean.

“However, it is expected that should fishing conditions improve more licences would be taken up,” said the Fisheries Acting Director.

SOURCE: VANUATU DAILY POST