29 Aug 06 - Ill-conceived Ideas Of The Institute Of National Affairs
On The Operations Of The National Fisheries Authority

I, John Kasu, Acting Managing Director of the National Fisheries Authority, make reference to the media article that was published in the Post Courier’s Focus column on 14th August 2006 under the heading ‘Where have our fish gone?’ by Paul Barker of Institute of National Affairs (INA).

The article highlights some common difficulties facing fisheries management regimes throughout the world but was faulty in portraying the National Fisheries Authority (NFA) in recent years as lacking good governance and issuing excessive licenses.

• The INA paper started off with a known fact, ‘Papua New Guinea is blessed with rich marine resources including productive reefs deltas, mangroves, sea grass beds as well as high seas’.

This was the very reason why the Government of Papua New Guinea pushed for necessary legislative and policy reforms that led to the enactment of the Fisheries Management Act 1998 which formed the basis for the establishment of the National Fisheries Authority in 2000.

• The INA paper pointed out that the ‘Western and Central Pacific tuna resource is the largest (remaining) in the world, producing slightly more than half of the marketed tuna in 2004 or around 1.7million metric tones. The paper added that due to increase in demand as the global population and incomes grow there is greater pressure exerted on the fisheries and marine resources and that experience has shown worldwide that there is ‘little success in setting the right harvest level.

The NFA together with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Immigration, the Department of Justice and Attorney General and the Fishing Industry Association have represented Papua New Guinea on numerous regional and international fisheries management organizations and are aware of the challenges and difficulties facing fisheries management. These difficulties and challenges are not restricted to PNG but is a global issue which we are aware of. Even the developed countries have not managed their fisheries well resulting in the collapse of their respective fisheries industries such as the cod fishery in Newfoundland, Canada.

PNG together with the other Forum Fisheries Agency member countries have been instrumental in the negotiations and establishment of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission which brings together both coastal and fishing states to implement measures for the sustainable management of tunas and other highly migratory and straddling fish stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean.

• The INA paper notes that some coastal marine resources, such as beche-de-mer have already been nearly exhausted in parts of PNG.

Beche-de-mer, and other declared fisheries are managed under fishery management plans that are set up based on a precautionary approach so as to ensure the sustainability of the fishery. These plans are enforced by the National Fisheries Authority which have over the years spent millions of kina on monitoring and enforcement functions.
As part of its role to explore the best way possible to ensure sustainable management of the resource the NFA has now developed a different approach to managing the sedentary and inshore fishery resources through community-based fisheries management arrangements. Under these arrangements communities will have a much bigger role in setting their fishery management plans for their respective areas and also in ensuring the enforcement of these plans. The NFA through the Asian Development Bank has piloted community-based fisheries management projects in New Ireland, Morobe and Milne Bay Provinces. And with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the NFA has held consultations in various provinces throughout PNG and is in the process of developing a national strategy and policy guideline for the establishment of community fisheries management areas in Papua New Guinea.

• The INA paper stated that ‘With an apparent weakening of governance over fisheries management in PNG in recent years, the NFA is reputed to have allocated excessive licenses, largely to overseas-owned purse seiners (and distant water longliners and pumpboats, in breach of established international arrangements, whilst approvals have been granted on a trial basis, targeting other species and using potentially destructive methods.’

The issue of governance within NFA has continued to be raised by people with ulterior motives. It is not surprising to see INA echoing the voice of people and institutions that do not regard Papua New Guineans as capable of managing themselves, their resources and their future.

All licenses issued within the NFA are within the bounds of the national fisheries management plans and inline with the sub-regional, regional and international management arrangements. All purse seine vessels licensed in Papua New Guinea are accounted for under the Palau Arrangement, a sub-regional arrangement established by the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA), countries whose waters are abundant with tuna to manage purse seine fishing efforts. The PNA recognizes the new socio-economic challenges facing their membership and possible impacts on the tuna stocks and with guidance of the Forum Fisheries Agency and the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission have resolved to implement a Vessel Day Scheme to manage fishing effort in the region starting from December 2007.

The NFA has not issued any license to distant water longline vessels. Even the recently concluded bilateral access agreement reached with Japan Far Seas Purse Seine Associations did not cater for longline vessels, a record in itself since Japan had over the years negotiated for the inclusion of their longline vessels. The entry by Japanese purse seine vessels is still within the limits set under the Palau Arrangement where there is a license cap of 205.Japan has been allocated 35 licenses under the said arrangement. Japan does not only fish within our Exclusive Economic Zone but like other Distant Water Fishing Fleets also fish in other PNA member countries where they have bilateral access arrangements.

Fishing effort in the region has been high, until only recently in the last two years where effort has declined due to natural factors and the introduction of better management schemes, principally the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Convention.

Through the established processes and consultations, the National Tuna Management Plan was amended in 2005 to allow for the introduction of pump boats which was seen as more ideal to Papua New Guineans given the low capital and operational costs. It was an initiative of ordinary Papua New Guineans who wanted to take part in the tuna industry, an initiative that NFA recognized and supported inline with the Government’s policy to empower Papua New Guineans to participate meaningfully in the economic development of this country including the tuna industry.

The fisheries legislation and policies provides for trial fishing licenses to be granted to ascertain if a fishery is able to sustained if developed as a commercial fishery. Trial licenses enable the entity interested in a fishery to undertake initial fishing and provide catch data to the NFA. Necessary inspections are carried out before commencement of the trial and reports are expected from the trials. There have been some cases of changes made to the fishing gears after inspections and lack of reports submitted and the NFA as a responsible organization has taken steps to address these matters.

• The INA paper stated that problems facing the tuna longline industry resulted from the NFA’s issuance of licenses, depletion of fish stocks and high freight costs.

These are very biased and shallow statements that have been repeated by likeminded people who are determined to tarnish the good image of NFA and for that matter PNG. As stated earlier all licenses are allocated under fishery management plans. In the case of the tuna longline fishery the NFA has provided a lot of support, build longline wharves in Kavieng and Lombrum (one still to be built in Lae) under an ADB loan but no longline vessels that are currently fishing is based out of these areas. The reason for these is the costs of fuel and freight which is affecting the whole fishing industry. It must be also be noted that the number of licenses allocated for the longline fishery has never been reached. The NFA is fully supportive of the fishing industry and has explored opportunities in downstream processing or value adding of catches and in assisting the fishing industry to explore new market opportunities so as to support the fishing industry.

• The INA paper belittle the ‘lower priced skipjack tuna’

Any study on the tuna industry development in PNG will reveal that the lower priced skipjack tuna has contributed a lot to the growth of the PNG fisheries industry. Investments made for onshore processing of the lower priced skipjack tuna amounts to over US$60million since 1997 and provides employment opportunities for over 5,000 people as well as numerous spin-off activities.

It would have been proper if INA in its research approach the NFA for correct and updated information on the operation of the NFA instead of depending on their likeminded associates and their own preconceived ideas.

Finally, unlike any other national fisheries agencies in the region, the PNG National Fisheries Authority is well placed to implement the requirements of the regional fisheries management organizations and establish suitable national fisheries management arrangements to ensure the sustainable management of the fish and fishery resources of Papua New Guinea and to support the development of a sustainable national fisheries industry.

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JOHN KASU
Acting Managing Director