During the dispute Japanese tuna vessels visited alternative ports of call in Indonesia and South Africa. While Australia has a clear comparative advantage through the size of its SBT grounds, the dispute highlighted the fact that Japanese vessels can easily call into other ports that are eager for their business. Clearly competition seems to be emerging between the major ports of the region to attract outside business. Continued unregulated fishing of SBT threatens to harm present stock recovery, while the potential to 'free ride' on future rejuvenated SBT stocks threatens to undermine the work of the Commission. No doubt an equally taxing struggle will occur over the inevitable re-allocation of quota that may need to be renegotiated between present commission members.
Environmental concerns are an important part of the policy dynamics affecting the fishery.
The international management of SBT represents a genuine international dilemma for the nations fishing this stock. The solution to the problem lies in the successful cooperation of the various countries concerned. At the center of this management dilemma is a resource that is commercially lucrative, is dwindling in numbers and which lacks clear ownership rights due to the high migratory pattern of the stock.