Page 15 - Islands Business June 2023

Potential Economic and Political Fallout of Tuna

Fishery Closures in Proposed PRIA Sanctuary

On March 21, 2023, President Biden directed the Hilborn et al. (2022 ) also found that protection of biodiversity
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Secretary of Commerce to consider initiating the using large, static closures in open ocean ecosystems is not
designation process for a proposed National Marine proven to be more effective than current fishery management
Sanctuary covering all U.S. waters around the Pacific controls. Pons et al. (2022 ) used case studies with verifiable data
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Remote Island Areas (PRIA). NOAA launched the to demonstrate existing fishery management tools and dynamic area-
designation process in April and held scoping meetings in based management tools are significantly more effective at protecting
May 2023 throughout the Western Pacific Region. biodiversity than large “set it and forget it” closed areas.
The draft sanctuary goals and objectives NOAA presented at the Closing the PRIA to tuna fishing entirely would create unintended
scoping meetings were vague negative consequences. The
and included language to PRIA provide important fishing
conserve, protect and restore grounds for commercially
biodiversity, and to provide valuable tuna species for a
the necessary structure to small number of U.S. vessels
ensure effective management. that contribute significantly to
The Western Pacific Fishery American Samoa’s economy.
Management Council has had These vessels are limited in
sustainable fishing regulations their fishing access on the
in place under the Magnuson- high seas through international
Stevens Act for this area since measures and must pay tens
the 1980s. In restructuring its of thousands of dollars a day
management framework from to fish within the EEZs of other
species-based plans to place- countries. Closing these areas
based plans in the late 2000s, U.S. purse seine vessels in American Samoa. to tuna fishing would result in
the Council was the first to a loss of fishing opportunities
recognize the importance of and potential revenue for
a comprehensive ecosystem fishermen. It could also
approach. Achieving the discourage purse seine boats
presented goals and objectives from continuing to operate
would not be mutually under the U.S. flag, meaning
exclusive to well-monitored they would no longer need to
and sustainable fisheries. offload their catch in American
If the proposed sanctuary Samoa, where 5,500 jobs
were to prohibit tuna fishing, are supported by the StarKist
the fishing industry and the cannery. Following the closure
communities that depend of one cannery in the territory
on it would face significant more than a decade ago, the
challenges. Conservation gross domestic production
benefits of such a move within fell by 25%. Closing the only
the international landscape remaining cannery due to an
remain unclear as the proposal economically constrained tuna
lacks supporting narratives. supply could be disastrous.
Principal tuna species within Tuna is an important food
the western and central Pacific source, both locally and globally.
Ocean are not overfished Closing the PRIA to tuna fishing
Credit: NOAA.
or experiencing overfishing could reduce the availability
(yellowfin, bigeye, skipjack, of this protein-rich resource.
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albacore). Tuna fisheries do not interact with vulnerable reef or deep It may lead to increased reliance on imported seafood or alternative
sea habitats. In fact, these fisheries cannot legally operate within 50 nm protein sources, which can have economic and nutritional implications
of the PRIA, well beyond the range of coral reefs at any depths where for local communities. Tuna is also the #1 commodity between the
they could possibly interact with tuna fisheries. U.S. and the Pacific Islands Region, and impeding its commerce goes
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Gilman et al. (2020 ) conducted the first evaluation of impacts and against the Indo-Pacific Strategy and Economic Framework advocated
ecological responses to blue water marine protected areas by the by the Biden Administration. The removal of U.S.-flagged vessels from
existing Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument and found no the PRIA eliminates an essential surveillance layer, hindering efforts to
notable “spillover effect” or benefits. In addition, the proposed sanctuary combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and possible criminal
area is adjacent to the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA), which is activities. It could create a “fishing vacuum” for foreign vessels to exploit.
to be reopened in Kiribati for fishing access for Chinese tuna purse seine Fishery closures in the region could harm Pacific Island economies
vessels. A recent study conducted by the Pacific Community experts and send the wrong message about the United States’ commitment to its
found the PIPA closure had no measurable conservation benefits for Pacific Island Territories. Fisheries management should strike a balance
tropical tuna species (Hampton et al., 2023 ). In reality, the PIPA simply between conservation and the socioeconomic needs of communities.
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displaced fishing effort. Any decision regarding the closure of the PRIA to tuna fishing would
If large tuna fishing closures had demonstrable conservation benefits, require careful consideration of these factors and the implementation of
it would have been evident in the PIPA, where significant fishing activity alternative measures to ensure the viability of U.S. tuna fisheries while
had occurred before the closure. Any potential “spillover” benefits of minimizing negative consequences.
the proposed sanctuary would likely benefit Chinese fisheries instead,
creating a “transferred effect” that could diminish the United States’ References
1 https://www.wcpfc.int/current-stock-status-and-advice
relevance in the Pacific tuna economy. Foreign fisheries that are not
2 Gilman et al., 2020. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0235129
bound by U.S. standards do not have environmental laws that reduce 3 Hampton et al., 2023. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2022.1060943/full
bycatch and interactions with nontarget or protected species and ensure 4 Hilborn et al., 2022. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/faf.12629
minimal habitat impacts. 5 Pons et al., 2022. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2114508119

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