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By HARLYNE JOKU
PRIME Minister Sir Michael Somare yesterday said the era for Pacific
island countries to manage their own tuna resources must now begin to
pave way for the setting up of downstream processing plants.
Sir Michael declared this as he observed that foreigners had been taking
liberty of bringing the region’s tuna catch somewhere else, thus
depriving the Pacific island countries of the million-dollar benefits
from their fisheries resources.
He said of the 2.7 million metric tonnes of tuna caught within the
Pacific valued at US$2.5 billion, Pacific Island countries collectively
earned only US$100 million as resource rent or access fees from fishing
fleets that operate within their respective zones.
He stressed that this earning represented only about 5% of the entire
value of of 2.7 million metric tonnes of tuna caught.
“While we have been managing tuna resources within our ocean, we have
unfortunately not derived an equitable level of benefits from the
harvest of these resources,” Sir Michael said at yesterday’s opening of
the two-day Pacific tuna forum meeting at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in
downtown Port Moresby.
Sir Michael said Pacific Island States must benefit from these resources
and that appropriate steps must be taken to increase the level of
participation by the people and industries of the Pacific Island States
in the harvesting and processing of tuna from the region.
But he stressed that PNG and other Pacific Island States cannot achieve
this on their own.
“They need the support of the distant water fishing nations by investing
in the Pacific to provide job opportunities.
Sir Michael said PNG had the competitive advantage of being located at
the best fishing ground in the world.
He said his Government would now push for additional tuna processing
plants to add on to the three existing canneries over the next few
years.
Sir Michael said PNG had taken steps to support the setting up of
onshore tuna processing plants by offering appropriate level of
incentives to the investors.
“While the cost of operation in PNG is still higher than in Asia, we do
have competitive advantage of being located right at the best fishing
ground in the world.
“With the three tuna processing plants now in place, we do see the
possibility of having additional plants over the next few years so as to
increase the total processing capacity and in doing so, create economies
of scale,” Sir Michael said.
The Prime Minister had acknowledged the support of the investors – RD
Tuna Canners, Frabelle (PNG) and, South Seas Tuna Corp – for
establishing tuna processing facilities in the country and the support
of the fishing industry at large to the growth of PNG’s economy.
He said the Government will review the level of incentives and support
that was provided to the fishing industry and offer new packages that
were more attractive to both investors and domestic industry players.
Sir Michael further said national fisheries legislation would also be
reviewed to put restriction on the export of raw skipjack tuna that was
being caught within PNG’s exclusive economic zone.
Sir Michael said in 2005, the Pacific catches accounted for 63% of the
total world catch of 4.3 million metric tonnes.
 
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