By Netani Rika, in Da Nang, Vietnam

PACIFIC nations will benefit from increased reporting requirements for tuna transshipment on the high seas.

A working group of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission 19th Session here has discussed provisions for more stringent reports on transshipment.

"We see transhipment as the hub in Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fisheries," said Bubba Cook of the World Wide Fund for Nature.

He said transshipment should be prohibited due to its negative impacts on regional socio-economic and conservation efforts.

It is expected that increased observer coverage on fishing boats in the region will lead to better assessment on transshipment.

The observer programme was suspended during the COVID-19 Pandemic but all observers have been vaccinated and can be mobilised again.

This will allow better data collection.

"So we can assess what role transhipment is playing in distribution of tuna from the WCPFC region," Cook said.

"Pacific islands have a right to benefit from the (tuna) resource."

He said transshipment was of minimal benefit to regional countries.

"We'd like to see all tuna caught in the region landed in port," Cook said.

"There they will be subject to much better scrutiny and ultimately the benefits accrue more to the Pacific through taxes, levies and port services."