やしの実通信 by Dr Rieko Hayakawa

太平洋を渡り歩いて35年。島と海を国際政治、開発、海洋法の視点で見ていきます。

世銀がミスリードする漁業資源管理

第5回太平洋ツナフォーラムがフィジーで9月22−23日開催された。

ミクロネシア連邦のカツオ漁船拿捕事件、環境テロリスト組織シーシェパードや環境プロパガンダ組織PEWのおかげで魚の事に日々詳しくなっていくような気がしている。

それで、下記のフィジー漁業森林大臣が同フォーラムで述べた内容が気になったので書いておきたい。

大臣は、太平洋のツナはUS$2.4 billionの価値があるという世銀のデータを引用し、

太平洋島嶼国はどれだけその分け前にあずかっているの?

もっと太平洋島嶼国内でお金が落ちる仕組みは作れないの?

と問題提議している。

数年前の無知な私は、それはアンフェアトレードだ、と素直に同意しブログを書いていた。しかし、カツオ漁船拿捕事件等々で学だのです。

まずは魚を取る漁業会社は船とその燃料メンテ、船員、管理運営費を差し引けば利益は大きくはない。

次に流通業者。冷蔵等の設備投資、商談に関わる経費、人件費など。これも経費を差し引けば利益が大きい訳ではない。

それから加工業者。缶詰工場などの設備投資。環境対策。人件費。

そして販売店。魚一匹を売ってどれだけ儲るのであろうか?

この話を外務省官僚にしたら、ちょうど同じ話を数年前世銀にアドバイスしたが無視されている、というお話をいただいた。

当方の素人見当も間違いでない、との自信を持った。

この世銀の太平洋島嶼国に対する漁業産業政策のミスリードをこのままにしておくとどうなるのか?

これも素人見当だが、今までも散々日本のODAで支援してきた島嶼国の漁業産業の実態が繰り返されるのであろう。

コスラエの巨大な漁業貯蔵庫がバスケットボール場となっていた。(十年以上前の話で現在の状況は知らない)。

昨年、OFCFが無駄な援助をしていた事を暴いたのは世銀担当の財務省ではなかったか?

島嶼国のマネージメント能力はその規模から限界があるのはこのブログの読者はお気づきだと思う。私は昨日羽生会長が「支援した後も面倒みてあげなきゃいけねえんだよ。」と言っているのを聞いて涙が出て来た。そうなんです。その通りです。

現在缶詰工場がある米領サモアパプアニューギニアの運営管理、労働環境がどのようになっているか実態は知らない。バヌアツでは魚加工工場の設置に関してレゲンバヌ大臣が環境問題を指摘している。大量の廃棄物が出て来るのだそうだ。

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Statement

Fiji's Minister for Fisheries and Forests, Hon. Osea Naiqamu

5th Pacific Tuna Forum at the Sofitel Denarau

22-23 September 2015

(Salutations)

On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Fiji, I warmly greet every individual participant that has made it to our beautiful shores of Fiji and those that have travelled locally.

It is a great honor to be here as the Chief Guest and to officially open the Fifth Pacific Tuna Forum this morning.

The Government of the Republic of Fiji through the Ministry of Fisheries and Forest is pleased to co-host the 5th Pacific Tuna Forum with Papua New Guinea’s National Fisheries Authority.

This conference focuses on tuna management issues in the Pacific region, markets and marketing opportunities for tuna products, international trade and trade barriers, research and development of new tuna products and prospects for tuna industry development in the region, among others.

Tuna is a very important resource to this region. It is only because of the tuna resources that the Pacific Island Countries came together to establish the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency in 1976.

Our tuna resources provide a sustainable protein source for our people and an instructive value to our cultural heritage and way of life in our island communities.

While we acknowledge the need for us to share this resource with the rest of the world, it is important that all Pacific Island States, together with distant water fishing nations agree to the fundamental principles of adopting and implementing sustainable fishing methods and practices.

We hear from our regional management organisations that bigeye tuna is at overfished state and yellow fin tuna is now under threat. I hope that through the presentations and discussions over the two days, we will come up with appropriate strategies and directions that can lead towards addressing these concerns. The Pacific Tuna Forum provides a good venue for frank and open discussions as all of you have the right to make comments and inputs.

A recent World Bank study estimates the catch value of tuna in our region at US$2.4 billion. The questions that need to be asked are; what portion of this value is realised within our region? Are we only going to sell access rights and fishing days or do we need to also support our people, our industries to also go into fishing? What about processing of these catches within our region? How can the Pacific Island countries, as custodians of the resource also participate in fishing, processing and trading of the tuna resources?

I am aware of the current challenges facing the world tuna fishing industry, many of whom are experiencing lower catch rates, paying higher access fees and selling their catches at depressed world prices. Maybe it is time for a restructure of the whole industry. Maybe we need to reduce the number of distant water fishing nations’ vessels that fish in our region as well as the overall number of fleets.

I know that these are tough questions and issues. These were also raised in the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Summit in Port Moresby earlier this month where a ‘Roadmap for Sustainable Fisheries’ was adopted. I am sure the Forum Fisheries Agency will be discussing this later in their presentation.

It is indeed timely for Fiji to be hosting the 5th Pacific Tuna Forum as being in the centre of the Pacific, we are able to have the participation of all the Pacific Island states as well as representatives from the major fishing and processing industries and key stakeholders.

We are therefore confident that through this conference you will all contribute to positive outcomes for the sustainable management and development of tuna resources in our respective communities and countries, and throughout the Pacific Island region.

As you all know, we have a range of distinguished speakers and presenters over these two days and because we endeavour to be successful, we encourage that you contribute to every discussions that will be encountered.

Fiji’s Prime Minister, Honorable Josaia Bainimarama spoke at the first Pacific Islands Development Forum of forming “a grand coalition” throughout the Pacific to protect our environment. In order to make sure that development is sustainable and that the common good comes before sectional interests. So that we leave the Pacific to our children and grandchildren in a better state than when we inherited it.

We must have at the forefront of our minds the kind of islands we will bestow upon our future generations. I strongly urge you all to place it at the forefront of your deliberations over these two days as we acknowledge Papua New Guinea for putting forward the need to establish a Pacific Tuna Forum.

With these few words, I have the great honour to declare the Fifth Pacific Tuna Forum officially open and I wish every individual the very best

Vinaka Vakalevu