Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission

The existing Commission measure governing transshipment was adopted in 2009 and is intended for review next year.

But Forum Fisheries Agency wants to see a Commission review process that results in significant strengthening of the current measure.

Its chair has said there is insufficient regulation, monitoring and reporting of tuna transshipment, particularly on the high seas, and it is distorting catch reports.

The aim of the FFA is for all transshipments in the central and western Pacific occurring in port.

Tonga’s priorities include important commercial species of tuna including albacore, bigeye yellowfin and skipjack.

Fakahau told the Commission the recent drop in catch rates in the albacore fishery in Tonga’s national waters has hampered the local fishing industry, affecting exports and the amount of fish available for local consumption.

The environment advocacy group, the Pew Charitable Trusts, said independent surveys show fishing has depleted bluefin stocks to just 2.7 percent of the levels that existed before the advent of commercial fishing.

The director of Pew's global tuna conservation campaign, Amanda Nickson, said little has been done by key agencies such as the Tuna Commission and governments and this mean a two year moratorium on commercial fishing was needed.

She said under such a scheme blue fin numbers could bounce back quite quickly and the fishing nations need to take action.