Pacific countries play 'hardball' over fishing rights

PACIFIC island countries are playing 'hardball' with the United States government in negotiations for American tuna boats to continue having preferential access to tuna-rich fishing grounds.

At last week’s negotiating session in Fiji on the US - Pacific fisheries treaty that expires next year, a U.S official told Island fisheries leaders that their demands for higher fishing fees were “extremely disappointing” and threatened the future of the 25-year-old treaty.

But island officials responded that if the United States wants to continue to have premium access it must pay for it.

Since the late 1980s, the U.S. Pacific fisheries treaty has allowed up to 42 U.S. flagged purse seiners access to exclusive economic zones of all islands in the Pacific.

But Pacific Island nations are not happy with the financial returns of the treaty and earlier this year, Papua New Guinea announced its intention to end its participation in the treaty next year. Island leaders are demanding a premium from the U.S. to extend the treaty because it provides U.S. boats access to the waters of every nation in the Pacific.

Other fishing nations such as South Korea, Japan and Taiwan must negotiate on a one-to-one basis with each island.