An eight-nation block in the Pacific that controls waters where more than 50 percent of the global supply of skipjack tuna is caught announced a substantial increase in fishing day-fees charged to purse seiner fleets following a meeting of government ministers in mid-June.
The Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) are raising fishing day-rates from $6,000 (€4,423) to $8,000 (€5,897) beginning next January -- a move that generated immediate concern from the US tuna industry.
During the past four years under PNA’s "vessel day scheme" (VDS), the eight members have increased their annual revenues from $60 million (€44.2
