Authority assessingbeche-de-mer to ensure sustainability

THE National Fisheries Authority (NFA) is currently assessing beche-de-mer (BDM) stocks to ensure sustainability.
Managing director John Kasu said they were assessing the stock to be able to determine when to re-open the season.
He said the authority recently deferred the opening of the BDM fishery season indefinitely.
“We didn’t complete the job,” Kasu said.
“We’ve done other provinces and the last areas are Central and the Autonomous Region of Bougainville.
“A team is now assessing the stock status in those two provinces.
“As soon as they are done, we will make some decisions whether to open the season or not.
“That will depend on the stock.
“We need to be very careful with the stock size.
“If the stock level is very low, then I think it’s better for us not to open the season because if our people continue harvesting we might do long term damage.
“That is why the deferral has been put in place.
“We have a revised beche-de-mer management plan that is being put in place.”
Kasu, while providing further updates on the National Fisheries Authority, said there were a number of issues including piracy, law and order issues as well as remittance of products coming in which they were working closely with relevant agencies such as the police to address those issues. Kasu said authority would have a new board by next month.
He said the last board’s term expired on Dec 10 and the former Fisheries and Marine Resources Minister Patrick Basa had worked on appointing a new board but due to the change in Government, the changes were now before the new Minister Dr Lino Tom. “At the moment, we have an ex officio board,” he said.
“We have a quorum so that does not stop us from having meetings.”