OFFICIALS have reached consensus on the long-standing South Pacific Albacore (SPA) tuna allocation within the Exclusive Economic Zones of Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) members south of the equator.
This breakthrough comes after nearly two decades of negotiations and represents a historic advancement in regional fisheries cooperation.
The allocations—agreed on Niue—will form the basis of a binding agreement under the FFA Allocation Framework for SPA. This will reinforce the region’s commitment to sustainable, equitable, and responsible tuna fisheries management.
“This outcome is a major step forward for the Pacific,” said Niue Cabinet Minister Mona Ainu’u, Chair of the Forum Fisheries Committee.
“South Pacific albacore is the backbone of our tuna longline fisheries and the economies of many of our coastal states. This agreement signals our unity and determination to protect our resources for future generations while also enabling fair economic returns today.”
The newly adopted framework will help advance the region’s position in broader negotiations at the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), such as the adoption of a SPA Management Procedure and its Implementation that recognises zone-based management, and high seas management.
“This decision exemplifies Pacific solidarity,” said FFA Director-General Noan David Pakop. “It shows that our Members can come together to make bold, science-based, grounded in fairness and anchored in the Pacific Way of cooperation.”