Parties to the Nauru Agreement

The community's director general, Dr Colin Tukuitonga, said the Parties to the Nauru Agreement, or PNA, and the Forum Fisheries Agency are increasing returns to their member states.

The PNA controls the world's largest, sustainable tuna purse seine fishery which is valued at US$6 billion annually.

Dr Tukuitonga says it returned $US60 million to the region in 2010 which increased to US$500 million in 2017.

The PNA is made up of eight countries, plus Tokelau, and controls much of the Pacific's tuna resources.

It has taken an aggressive approach and in seven years increased revenue eight fold.

The PNA intends maintaining this drive but the chief executive Ludwig Kumoru says they also wanted to improve links with organisations like the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission and the Pacific Forum Fisheries agency.

The annual official meeting of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement begins in the Marshall Islands capital Majuro today.

The PNA controls the world's largest sustainable tuna purse-seine fishery.

Its meeting is expected to endorse recommendations for action by government ministers who will meet in Majuro in two months time.

Members will look at how to implement calls to ban high-sea bunkering of fishing vessels by requiring refuelling in ports or designated zones.

The commission, which is the governing body for the world's largest tuna fishery, is meeting in Fiji this week where developed nations have called for a ban on the use of Fish Aggregation Devices, or FADs, to be increased from three months to four.

They say the measure is aimed at reducing the catch of Bigeye Tuna in the region.

But Ludwig Kumoru, the chief executive of the PNA, which is a collection of small Pacific states, said an increase would place a disproportionate burden on countries like Tuvalu, where the fishery generates 50 percent of the country's revenue.

The Tuna commission, which is the governing body for the world's largest tuna fishery, is meeting this week in Nadi in Fiji.

Several South American countries have recently expressed interest in becoming members of the Commission, one of which is Ecuador.

The chief executive of the PNA, Ludwig Kumoru said one of the issues that PNA is strongly opposing to is having new members, who have minimal interest in the fishery, admitted to the commission.

World Tuna Day is an initiative of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA), which has celebrated the day in the PNA region since 2012 following PNA government fisheries ministers endorsing the annual event.

RNZ reports the PNA said World Tuna Day is a reminder of people's role as custodians of the rich natural resource that is food for tens of millions of people around the world.

PNA Chair Sonia Schutz said the Parties to the Nauru Agreement are managing the world's largest sustainable tuna fishery, so it is gratifying to see the outpouring of support for the resolution.

Transform Aqorau's comments comes after Pacific leaders called for a review of the PNA's Vessel Day Scheme and promoted a New Zealand style quota management system instead.

Speaking to industry stakeholders at the 5th Pacific Tuna Forum in Fiji this week, Dr Aqorau says his body is already considering a catch based management system, but is moving cautiously.

This comes after scathing criticism from the PNA chief executive after the Pacific Island Forum leaders decision to look into the merits of replacing the PNA's Vessel Day Scheme with a New Zealand style quota management system.

New Zealand's Shane Jones says regional leaders want a year given to look into the future of tuna fisheries management in the Pacific and he says the PNA should heed their wishes.

Dr Aqorau was responding to a New Zealand-led push at the Pacific Islands Forum to help shift the region away from daily catches via the Vessel Day Scheme.

The scheme has brought rising incomes to PNA countries but New Zealand says advances in technology and bigger fishing boats are resulting in larger catches which could render the scheme unsustainable.

Dr Aqorau says the only areas in which unsustainable catches are occurring are those outside the control of its Vessel Day Scheme.