Japanese fishing boats acknowledge zones

Press, 23 April 1984, Page 8

Japanese fishing boats acknowledge zones

By BRUCE ROSCOE Tokyo

Japanese fishing concerns are less hostile now to South Pacific island nations’ attempts to exercise more control over their newly declared 200-mile economic zones, according to the director of the Forum Fisheries Agency, Mr Philip Muller.

“The relationship is mellowing from confrontation to one of mutual co-opera-tion,” said Mr Muller after talks in Tokyo with the Japanese Fisheries Agency, the Overseas Fisheries Cooperative Foundation and fishing associations. Mr Muller said Japanese

tuna boats had complied with the Forum’s policy, begun last September 1, of requiring all foreign fishing boats to register their operations with the Forum.

The Forum, which comprises 14 South Pacific nations such as Western Samoa, the Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea and the Federated States of Micronesia, is using the register to monitor foreign boats’ movements and catches in the zones. Boats that fail to register face the threat of a total fishing ban.

“No boats have been banned yet. The Japanese boats are highly disciplined,” Mr Muller said.

“They (the Forum) are finding fewer difficulties than they anticipated with the register.”

The Forum Fisheries Agency had several fisheries development projects on the drawing board, and most appeared best suited to joint ventures with foreign fishing companies because those arrangements facilitated the marketing of the fish.

Mr Muller said he had discussed co-operative arrangements with Japanese interests in only general terms. No new proposals were offered for Japanese fishing assistance for the region.