Abel wants PNG to make the most of tuna stock

Main Stories

By PETER ESILA
DEPUTY Prime Minister Charles Abel says the Government wants to see more revenue from fishing because the country owns 15 per cent of the world’s tuna fishery.
The Alotau MP said during the opening of the National Fisheries Authority-funded K5.1 million temporary and informal market at Alotau on Saturday that the country should be benefitting more from fisheries.
“Papua New Guinea owns 15 per cent of the world’s tuna. We want to see more benefits from that industry,” he said.
“We need to see more revenue, more foreign exchange, because billions are taken out of our waters. We need to focus on getting the benefit from industries such as fisheries and forestry.
“We need to create more jobs, we need to build more markets throughout the country.”
He thanked the Japanese government for the partnership.
Minister for Fisheries and Marine Resources Patrick Basa commended the role the NFA was playing in managing fisheries and marine resources and developing alliances with development partners.
Meanwhile, the Japanese government will build a K33 million town market and fisheries facilities in Alotau. Basa said an agreement for that project would be signed in Japan on August 10.
“The temporary and informal market (opened last Saturday) will make way for the construction of the main project. We remain committed to delivering this project within 16 to 18 months,” Basa said.
Abel said the main market would include refrigerator facilities and a jetty. Japanese Ambassador Satoshi Nakajima said Japan welcomed working the NFA to promote fisheries in PNG through the market rehabilitation project and other fishery-related projects.