Brace for tuna revenue declines: Dr Aqorau

State of Tuna Report 2015 – Special Feature

TUNA resource owning nations may be enjoying premium price for their fish, but they have been warned to prepare for “rainy days.” The warning was issued by Dr Transform Aqorau, (pictured) head of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement Office in a recent issue of his tuna market intel report “We can’t be complacent about the income we’re receiving now,” said Dr Transform Aqorau in Majuro this week.

“One bad year of fishing will have a huge negative impact on our economies.” When invited by this magazine to elaborate about his warnings, Dr Aqorau said: “No I am not alarmed at the level of fishing, I am just raising an issue that Parties should be aware of because fisheries are also volatile as we have seen which can affect their incomes so they should be prepared.”

The eight PNA member countries have seen revenue increase five times since 2010, going from $64 million to an estimated $350 million this year, the PNA Market Intel Report said. Climate and other environmental factors, an over-abundance of tuna stock depressing prices, or market forces out of the PNA’s control can all impact fishing in the western and central Pacific. Fishing tuna heavily every year will have an impact on the fishery, it said.

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