THE US will release USD 60 million to the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency as part of a 10-year economic assistance agreement associated with the South Pacific Tuna Treaty.
This announcement followed a meeting between US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and Pacific ambassadors and representatives.
The South Pacific Tuna Treaty allows US-flagged vessels to fish in the exclusive economic zones of 16 Pacific Island countries. The treaty has, at times, been a point of contention between the Pacific and the US.
A fleet based mainly out of California generates hundreds of millions of dollars per year in gross revenue for the US economy.
Landau met representatives from Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Tuvalu.
They discussed greater involvement of the US private sector to promote prosperity for all.