Concerns northern Cook Islands to be turned into fishing hub
A former Cook Islands MP says the government is planning to turn Penrhyn Island in the country's north into a giant hub for fishing boats in the region.
Transcript
A former Cook Islands MP says the government is planning to turn Penrhyn Island in the country's north into a giant hub for fishing boats in the region.
Wilkie Rasmussen says a reliable source told him the government will soon announce it will inject 13 million US dollars into upgrading Penrhyn Harbour to accommodate up to 100 fishing ships, 30 of them licensed to fish in Cook Islands waters.
He says such a big development would overwhelm the island, which has a population of 120 people.
The government has denied there is any such project in the pipeline.
WILKIE RASMUSSEN: I've got information provided to me that this plan is under foot. It is being prepared for annoucement in the next couple of weeks I believe. It came as a bit of a surprise because the size and the magnitude of it. It seems unfair we, the people of Penhryn island, have never been consulted about it. And we would like to know just how big this project is.
MARY BAINES: So what do you know about its size now and what the project will actually be?
WR: The project is about developing the island and turning it into a fishing hub for the northern Cook Islands. But it also seems to be a plan to enable fishing boats fishing in other waters such as Kiribati, Tahiti, French Polynesia, so they could come to Penryhn for dry docking, to unload, offload fish and catch, and among other things to refuel, replenish their supplies and what have you. We are looking at about 100 odd ships that could call into that island within a very short space of time. It really is an island in isolation, all of a sudden you've got an invasion taking place.
MB: And will these boats be licensed to fish in Cook Islands waters?
WR: There are only 30 boats at the moment that are licensed in Cooks waters. We are looking at an estimation of about 100 other boats in Cooks waters, or close to Cooks waters, 100 odd, I was told, fishing with licenses in Kiribati and French Polynesia waters.
MB: You mentioned the plan could mean the boats can offload catch. Do you think that would end up in a processing plant being set up there as well in the future?
WR: That has been in the plans for some time. It has been in the pipeline for the Cook Islands. But there has been some opposition to it before. I personally express opposition against a processing plant, simply because the island is too small to sustain such an operation.
MB: You say the people of Penhryn haven't been consulted on this plan. Do you think there will be some resistance to it?
WR: I am absolutely sure of it. I mean I keep in touch with them every day. They just don't want a project that they see at the moment as a very, very huge project that will simply overwhelm the community.
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