Beche-de-mer harvest season opens today, says NFA

THE beche-de-mer (sea cucumber) season will open today.
National Fisheries Authority (NFA) managing director John Kasu said in a notice on Friday that the general public, fishermen, fisherwomen and licensed applicants for the 2020 open season were advised that the board-approved licenced operators would be published in the daily papers once the board notifications were sent out to all the respective applicants early this week.
The 2020 season opening had been deferred from July 1 due to technical reasons.
NFA advised that licensed operators should be fully conversant with the beche-de-mer management plan (368).
Licensed operators are all required to operate within the provisions of the plan.
“All approved export licenced operators will be required to pay full compliance bond fee of K50,000,” Kasu said.
“All storage facilities must meet all the requirements under the plan; makeshift and container facilities will not be accepted.
“Each exporter will be allowed to have five buyers as employees of the company.”
NFA noted that in its recent board meeting, it was recommended that all licensed operators for all export remittance be made available within 14 days after the date of the export to NFA in order to qualify for approval for the next export.
“There will be a special requirement for harvesting, selling and exportation of white teat fish and black teat fish .
“All of these will be under a new species-specific plan known as non-detrimental finding.”
NFA also advised that revised total allowable catch (TAC) for each province would be published together with the notice on approved licence operators.
The 2020 open season would be based on TAC limits and not on the usual seasonal closures per the plan (G368).
According to the NFA website, the growth in the beche-de-mer industry has gradually increased in the last few years.
There was also an increased number of participants, as well as the hype of trade activities and multiple financing arrangements between locals and non-citizens.
The overall export has levelled off to more than 400,000kg (dried) annually, a result of the weaker kina against the US dollar, at about K21million.
According to the BDM Exporters Association president Harry Landu, PNG’s main export market was China.
But he said other markets were opening up in countries such as Australia and New Zealand.
He said the most expensive species was sand fish which would fetch up to US$400/kg (K1,373/kg) in the export market.
“Two species are being closely monitored for conservation purposes.
“These two are the white teat fish and black teat fish.
“Both of which these species are also highly demanded.
“White teat fish can sell as high as US$250/kg (K858.50/kg) and black teat can sell for nearly US$200/kg (K686.80/kg),”Landu said.