True economic benefits from tuna processing

By FRANK ASAELI
PAPUA New Guinea welcomes foreign investment in the tuna sector as the real economic benefits from fishery is through onshore processing.
Because of this, PNG is now relaxing the requirements for local ownerships of longline vessels, National Fisheries Authority (NFA) acting managing director Sylvester Pokajam revealed yesterday at the opening of the Pacific tuna forum at Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Port Moresby.
Mr Pokajam said the expansion of fisheries economies would be carried out within the cautious catch and effort limits set by the country’s tuna management plan.
“In that process, we have developed a tuna development plan that reaffirms our commitment to responsible management of the surface tuna resource, while assuring preferential access to operators that supply the needs of canning and loining plants,” he said.
Mr Pokajam said ownership of pumpboats was still reserved for Papua New Guineans but in this fishery, “we also recognise the need for foreign expertise in processing and marketing of the catches for export”.
He said purse seine vessels , which are not willing to supply at least part of their catches for processing in PNG, “will find themselves slowly being excluded from our waters”.
NFA, in consultation with other government bodies, will develop an approved package of incentives and remissions for investors in the fisheries sector.
Mr Pokajam also said they aimed to address some of the infrastructure constraints that were vital to fisheries development.
He said there was little scope to increase catches - instead we must make better use of what we have.
As a regional leader in domestic fisheries development, PNG had set a target of K1 billion tuna industry, Mr Pokajam said.

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