[Newsreader] Fiji's tuna industry has warned it is on the brink of collapse, with industry officials calling for urgent action from the Fiji government. The Tuna Boat Owners' Association wants the lifting of duties and taxes which it says do not have to be paid by foreign boats. Jemima Garrett reports.

[Garrett] Fiji's tuna industry has been in trouble for some time. Last weekend, four more vessels were auctioned after being repossessed because their owners could not repay loans to the Fiji Development Bank. Over the past three years the industry has shrunk by two-thirds.

Graham Southwick, president of the Tuna Boat Owners' Association, wants the government to lift a host of duties and taxes that he says are driving local fishermen to the wall.

[Southwick] What the local fleet here doesn't need is additional taxes and duties placed on us that are not placed on the foreign fleets.

[Garrett] Mr Southwick says the higher taxes for locals mean that it costs 30 per cent more to operate a local boat than a foreign boat. He says 2,000 direct and indirect jobs are at risk.

The Tuna Boat Owners' Association says it has done everything it can to maintain local skills, but if any more jobs go crucial skills will be lost.

Originally published by Radio Australia, Melbourne, in English 0700 2 Jun 08.

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