(only draft)
As I learn about fish, especially Tuna, I found that neither the Mega Marine Sanctuary which the PEW is promoting, nor the Navy can not protect them, with confidence.
By the Navy I mean the Royal Australian Navy who has implemented the Pacific Patrol Boat Program over the last 30 years for all the Pacific Islands. In 2008 they wrote a letter to their government noting that that chasing fish is not their job and the PPBP should not be their job. They were right. The Navy does not know fish. They can not, should not look after fish.
So how we can protect Tuna?
Strengthening the regulation within the Regional fisheries management organisations – RFMO is one of them.
A few days ago one of the RFMO made a historical resolution. IATTC - Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission - agreed to cut 40% of the Tuna catch which was under 30kg. This is 10% bigger than the Japanese (Japan Fisheries Agency JFA)proposal, however, it is still a huge step to protect the Pacific Bluefin Tuna.
see their resolution
http://www.iattc.org/PDFFiles2/Resolutions/C-14-06-Conservation-of-bluefin-2015-2016.pdf
In September another RFMO – WCPFC - Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission agreed to cut 50% of the Tuna catch with again the initiative of Japanese government.
This Japanese leadership was made possible by the fishermen of the Iki island which has only 28,000 population. Japan as a country of the largest catch and consumption of Tuna, and all domestic stake holders should agreed to regulate the catch numbers of Tuna in Japan. Otherwise we can not tell foreign countries to reduce their catching. This July, the Japanese government made a decision to cut the Tuna catch with the strongest support from the fishermen of Iki Island and their ally fishermen from all over the Japan.
So I would like to say, the small island fishermen’s movement led the decision of international organization i.e. IATTC.
There are more ways to protect Tuna except sea surveillance, such as strengthen traceability, strengthen port state control, and establish a mechanism to check market distribution.
So, is President Remengesau’s proposal on the Mega Sanctuary wrong? No. Without his drastic proposal, the world regime could not be changed. People who know fish, knew the need to change the current situation, however, changing the status quo needs a strong energy and passion. This came from President Remengesau.
Do we not need the Royal Australian Navy? They are the only capacity to stay with the Pacific Islands sea power. They should stay and keep going with more collaboration from US, Japan, and other actors such as RFMOs.
Last not but least. Good news. Other RFMO ICCAT - International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, seems to increase the Tuna catch recently, as the result of regulation of the catch quota. ICCAT started to regulate catching since 1998.
“ICCAT likely to increase bluefin tuna TACs, says Japanese newspaper”
http://www.undercurrentnews.com/2014/10/08/bluefin-tuna-quota-to-rise/
