Rethinking sovereignty in the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission

Abstract

International Fishery management bodies and policy regimes are highly complex, subjective and contextual, with the negotiation dynamic between member nations at the heart of progress for goals and objectives. The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) manages a specific area of the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) which contains the largest and most valuable tuna fisheries in the world, providing over half of the global supply of tuna. Although 90% of tuna catches come from the waters of certain Pacific Island countries, little work has been conducted on examining tuna fishery management and development issues and sovereignty from the perspective of Pacific Islanders. This study attempts to categorize perceptions of sovereignty as reported by fishery managers, country delegates and legal advisors from either an industrialized nation or a Pacific Island; and to compare the identified perceptions by affiliated groups. Through the use of extensive interview data collected from informed experts and decision makers within the WCPFC and international law triangulation, incompatible perceptions were clearly defined across groups and were often inconsistent with international law regarding sovereignty. This study highlights the incongruity of perceptions within the management framework and encourages the highly influential topics of sovereignty, having deep historical, socio-cultural and political considerations, to be more directly addressed in conversations and deliberations about tuna fishery management in the WCPO.