Envoy: Protect stock
The National, Tuesday December 22nd, 2015
PAPUA New Guinea has urged the World Trade Organisation to include in its multilateral trading system elements to eliminate illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing.
Head of the PNG delegation to the WTO ministerial meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, Joshua Kalinoe said such practices were not only threatening the tuna stock but distorting the real income of countries involved in commercial fishing.
He said PNG continued to experience incidents of illegal fishing practices by foreign fishing fleets.
He was speaking in support of an initiative by 28 member states, led by New Zealand, on their intention for a political commitment on future negotiation rules on fisheries subsidies discipline under the Post-Nairobi work programme.
PNG is a co-sponsor of the initiative.
Fisheries subsidies are one of the main elements which need greater scrutiny under the multilateral trading system.
Kalinoe said because of the lack of monitoring, control and surveillance, small islands were exposed to illegal fishing.
He said PNG had developed a national framework to eliminate illegal fishing in its waters at a cost of US$11.5 million (K33.87 million).
Kalinoe told the meeting that PNG’s experience in developing its own fishing framework indicated that substantial capacity was required.