Viable running of fisheries important

THE sustainable management of fisheries is important in the region, according to Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) chief executive officer Ludwig Kumoru.
Papua New Guinea is a member of PNA which is made up of Pacific Island countries which control the world’s largest sustainable tuna fishery.
Kumoru, pictured, the former PNG National Fisheries Authority deputy managing director, attended the opening of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission annual meeting yesterday in Fiji.
“The Parties to the Nauru Agreement hopes to see progress on conservation management during this meeting,” Kumoru said.
“We support positive steps forward that support sustainable management of our tuna fishery.
“I want to emphasize that we as resource owners and distant water fishing nations share the responsibility of ensuring sustainability of our fishery for decades to come.
“All our islands respect their traditions that have guided generation after generation to be stewards of their resources for the benefit of current and future generations.”
Kumoru agreed with commission chairperson Rhea Moss-Christian’s call for members to “take small steps forward and not diminish the value of incremental progress as platform for reaching our goals”.
Kumoru said: “No one knows better than PNA members the benefit of incremental progress.
“This describes the development over the past 10 years of PNA’s vessel day scheme that underpins management of the skipjack tuna fishery in PNA zones.”