Key areas under scope

 By GYNNIE KERO

THE National Fisheries Authority is reviewing five key areas the European Union has instructed the state to address, acting managing director Philip Polon says.

He highlighted them as legislation, tuna management plan, traceability, licensing and cooperation among relevant state agencies. 

In June, the European Union (EU) issued the ‘yellow card’ to Papua New Guinea and the Philippines and threatened import bans over illegal fishing.

Polon said the aim of the ‘card’ was for PNG to be transparent on its mechanisms involving those five areas.

The authority has understandings (MoU) with NAQIA, PNG Defence Force, Royal Constabulary of PNG and Customs.

He said Health was another department that NFA needed to join forces with to capture the importations of fish.

“When EU issues a yellow card, it comes with a very thick documentation of action plan, contains all the concerns and what they think you should be doing.

“So what NFA did with that document is, we interpret it and align it with the main concern EU has highlighted in 2011-12 when they came to visit us.

“We do a policy, followed by a procedure which basically should complement the review operations now and management measures under the new tuna plan, if PNG can demonstrate that; that’s all that matters to EU.

“We are progressing well with paper trailing of tuna, only concern is importation in relation to health and customs.

“The fear of EU is some importers in PNG may be importing cans of fish, relabeling it and resending it to EU using the free trade market. We need a system to show that the can of fish we import to PNG does not go out again, its consumed locally. 

“NFA needs to have a MoU with Health so that we can capture, document and prove to the European Union that the imported can of fish is eaten.”