Harvest of tuna, social issues affect supply chain: Official

SUSTAINABLE harvesting of tuna remains an important theme while social issues are now no less important, an official says.
Speaking at the opening of the 7th Pacific Tuna Forum in Port Moresby yesterday, conference chairman Les Clarke said retailers and consumers continued to be concerned about sustainable harvesting but were equally and more concerned about working conditions of those whose labour makes the supply chain possible – mainly fishers and processing plant workers.
“Nobody wants to be associated with the exploitation and mistreatment of workers understandably and rightly so,” he said.
“The necessary changes in crew and hiring practices in some parts of our industry will be neither easy nor cost-free.
“Ocean pollution and particularly that caused by plastics, has also become with good reason, a hot-button issue,” he said.
“This has implications at both ends of the supply chain, for instance for the management (or non-management) of FADs at the fishing end, and the packaging of products at the retail end.”
Clarke said as the years went by and the examples of extreme weather accumulate, climate change denial looked increasingly untenable.
“Small island states are already feeling the impacts of rising sea levels.
“Singapore, itself a small island state recently estimated that the long term cost of its preparation for rising sea levels would be US$70 billion (K232.6 billion),” he said.
“Fishers know that fishing patterns have changed.”
Clarke said climate change, environment and sustainability were some of the principal drivers in the move towards diets less inclusive of meat and fish.
Meanwhile, National Fisheries Authority (NFA) deputy manager Noan Parkop in his opening address, acknowledged the partnership and support of the Pacific Island Tuna Industry Association, the World Tuna Purse Seiners Organisation and the PNG Fishing Industry Association for the Pacific Tuna Forum.
He urged the participants to make use of the forum to discuss issues and learn the importance of ensuring the sustainability of the much valued resource – tuna.