The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council calls out foreign tuna dumping

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council expressed concern over foreign tuna dumping in its latest meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii, warning that foreign competition is harming both producers and consumers.“If our fishermen can’t compete, fish, sustain a profit, and provide protein for our communities, not only do we lose food security in American Samoa, but our economy dies,” Council Chair Taulapapa William Sword said. Sword’s comments are a continuation of the council members’ long-stated concern over fish imports undermining the domestic seafood sector. In March, members said that cheap, subsidized imports were gutting demand for local, domestic seafood.“The market isn’t there because of the huge amount of imported, subsidized, gassed tuna being ‘dumped’ into the market, and retailers are not adjusting downward during periods of high local supply of fresh tuna,” Hawaii Longline Association Executive Director Eric Kingma said in March. “Not only is this bad for the ...