Fishing agreement vital for Pacific's economic future

Mr Chairman, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen.

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to Auckland, and to open what we hope will be the final round of negotiations to conclude a treaty establishing a South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation to manage the non-highly migratory fish resources of the high seas of the South Pacific.

The government, of which I am a part, is pleased that the initiative that New Zealand, together with our co-sponsors, Australia and Chile, launched in 2006 is now close to completion. 

Before I make a few remarks about the specific issues that you will be grappling with over the next week, I would like to give you a brief picture of what Pacific fisheries mean to New Zealand and to the islands of the Pacific. 

To do that, I need to widen the focus to all of the fisheries of the Pacific; both the highly migratory species of tuna, swordfish and the like, as well as the non-highly migratory species that are to be covered by the regime you are negotiating. 

Fisheries are important to us all - that is why you are all here in Auckland.

In New Zealand's case, fisheries constitute an important part of our economy.  The total value of fisheries exports from New Zealand last year was over $1.3 billion - or more than US $900 million. 

Most of that value is captured from within the New Zealand Exclusive Economic Zone - which is why the Law of the Sea Convention, and its recognition of our rights out to 200 miles, is so important to us.

Significantly, that value is all extracted by, or on behalf of, New Zealand quota holders.

While fisheries are important to New Zealand, they represent an even greater potential opportunity for the island countries of the Pacific. 

My colleagues and I have recently shifted the focus of our development assistance programmes in the Pacific region to give a higher priority to economic development.

For the smaller island nations of the region, achieving a higher return from their fisheries is one of the most significant opportunities.

The value of tuna caught in Pacific Island EEZs each year is estimated to be US$1.6 billion. 

Yet, only US$380 million of that value - less than a quarter - is caught by the Pacific Island countries themselves.

Another important but salutary set of figures relates to illegal and unreported fishing. 

It is estimated that approximately US$350 million worth of tuna is taken out of the Pacific each year illegally or without being reported to relevant authorities. 

That is roughly the same in value as the revenues generated by the tuna caught by all Pacific island countries.

Meanwhile, opportunities for processing and marketing tuna are changing, especially in the Eastern Pacific. 

One cannery has already closed in Pago Pago. 

If new opportunities are not found shortly, there is a risk that much of the processing of the product, and the additional value that drives, will leave the region.   

It is for these reasons that my Government is committed to putting a major effort into assisting Pacific Island countries to develop their fisheries.

We want to help them build their capability to harvest and process the resource, and to improve monitoring and surveillance activities that will cut down on the leakage of value through illegal and unreported fishing. 

Much of our effort is directed through regional organisations; in particular the Forum Fisheries Agency, which plays a key role in providing policy and management advice to assist member countries in managing the resources of their EEZs and beyond.  

But we are also looking to develop opportunities for closer direct engagement, both government-to-government, and through our respective private sectors.

We believe the New Zealand fishing industry can add considerable value through partnership opportunities in the Pacific.

These efforts need to be seen in the context of New Zealand's strong commitment to ensuring sustainable management of the Pacific's fisheries in the interests of stable, secure economic development for the region.

In this regard, sustainability is paramount.  The Pacific cannot afford to see the relatively healthy stocks of the Western and Central Pacific suffer the same fate that has befallen tuna stocks in other regions. 

Our support for this process confirms the priority that this government places on securing the economic and environmental well-being of New Zealand and of the countries of the Pacific.

New Zealand has a strong domestic interest in the sustainable management of the region's fisheries resources.

We are also committed to maximising the economic and developmental benefits to Pacific Island countries through the sustainable management of Pacific fisheries resources.

That is why we work so hard to make sure that the governance arrangements for fisheries management are effective, and are complied with.

You might wonder why I have been talking about tuna when the business of your meeting concerns the non-highly migratory species of the Pacific. 

There are two reasons.  The first is that I want to put New Zealand's support for this negotiation in that wider regional context. 

In our view, having comprehensive, settled and effective arrangements for the sustainable management of the region's fisheries over the longer term is a key component for ensuring the political and economic security of the region. 

The Convention you are negotiating is not just about orange roughy any more than it is just about jack mackerel. 

It is about completing the governance framework for Pacific fisheries and putting in place durable and effective arrangements for managing all of the non-highly migratory species of the South Pacific - a truly vast area - and not just for today but also for tomorrow. 

This new Convention must provide a basis for ensuring that future fishing on the high seas of the South Pacific is sustainable and that proper account is taken of the impacts of fishing on marine habitats and ecosystems. 

The second reason for mentioning tuna is that there are important interactions between the tuna stocks which are managed under the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission and the Inter American Tropical Tuna Commission, and the stocks to be managed by the Convention you are negotiating. 

For example, recent research carried out by the Secretariat for the Pacific Community indicates that big eye tuna and swordfish consume large amounts of juvenile squids, and that jack mackerel form an important part of the diet of some tuna, notably albacore. 

In other words, what we do under this Convention will have ramifications for wider Pacific fisheries.

It is important, therefore, that the new Commission established by the Convention has the necessary guidance and the mechanisms for effectively managing regional fisheries resources out into the future, when we know that pressure on marine resources and the environment will be greater than it is today.

Under the Law of the Sea Convention and customary international law, there is a duty to cooperate in conserving and managing high seas fishery resources, and to establish regional organisations for this purpose.

No one should have the opportunity or excuse to stand aside from this Convention, and get a free ride on, or even undermine, the conservation and management efforts of others.

This one of the reasons why the Convention, and the conservation and management measures adopted under it, must apply to and bind all those who fish or may fish in the region.

It is also important that the rules that the Commission applies are fair, and that they respect the rights and interests of the countries of the region, especially the small island and other developing states. 

The countries of the Pacific must be able to access the high seas resources of the region. 

I understand that these issues are addressed in the draft Convention that you will be considering this week. 

I also understand that in a number of respects, this draft contains some truly innovative mechanisms for managing straddling stocks and high seas species.

It seeks to ensure that the resources of the region are conserved and the marine environment protected, in accordance with the precautionary and ecosystems approaches that underpin modern fisheries management. 

I urge you to ensure that these elements are retained in this final phase of the negotiations.

I know you have a number of difficult challenges to deal with over the coming week. 

In particular you have to resolve the issue of the northern boundary of the Convention area, which will involve a judgment that balances the desire for maximum coverage with the need for an effective organization;

You also have to resolve the issue of participation to which I have already referred, and you must also try to ensure that the arrangements that are to be put in place by the new Convention are not undermined in the period between its adoption and its entry into force. 

For this reason, it is important that new interim measures for the management of jack mackerel are put in place from the end of this year.

You have shown over the past four years that you have the wisdom, the creativity and commitment to this common effort to resolve these and the other issues that lie ahead. 

It may not be easy.  It may require late nights and hard talking.  It will certainly require flexibility and compromise. 

But I am confident that you will get there.  You are already very close; just one week away from agreeing a regime that will conserve the resources of this very large area for the benefit of future generations.

I wish you well and look forward to hearing news later this week of the successful conclusion of your efforts through the adoption of an agreed Convention text.

And, if you have any spare time during or after the meeting, I urge you to take advantage of the many natural and other attractions of Auckland and the wider region and country.

Thank you.