The owner of an American Samoan fishing company says it's impossible for longline fleets to compete with Chinese boats, and the government has allowed it to happen.
The president of Longline Services Incorporated, Carlos Sanchez, says local owners of albacore fishing boats are all planning on selling up in the new year because it's no longer economic.
Mr Sanchez says the influx of Chinese fleets, which enjoy government subsidies, has led to low catches, and a reduction in prices for tuna.
He says while they can't fish outside the territory's exclusive economic zone, the Chinese boats are everywhere.
"We are catching only what goes through the Chinese wall because they have boats in Cook Islands, they have boats that are outside the Cook Islands, they have boats all over the place. In this area they have 1,400 albacore boats fishing in the Western and South Pacific."
Carlos Sanchez says the recent creation by the government of a committee to help the territory's albacore fishing fleet is too little too late.
