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The United States and 17 Pacific Island nations have reached an agreement to restore the South Pacific Tuna Treaty (SPTT), which the U.S. withdrew from in January in a dispute over the high costs of the treaty.

U.S. tuna fishing vessels are back at sea following the accord, which lowered the number of fishing days the U.S. must pay for and lasts through the end of 2016. The total U.S. commitment for 2016 has been reduced from USD 90 million (EUR 80.7 million) to USD 66 million (59.2 million). The remainder of fishing days no longer being used by the U.S. fleet will be resold to other fishing fleets, according to the Pacific Island Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA).

“It’s taken a lot of extraordinary effort and compromise for 17 Pacific governments to come together where all have agreed to accept the U.S.-requested revision,” FFA Director General James Movick said. “Pacific parties clearly want to settle the 2016 fishing access and its financial uncertainties and move quickly on to the bigger challenge we now face of ensuring that any future arrangement after this year learns from the events of the last few months."

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