NFA sets up team to monitor illegal fishing

 By KARI TOTONA

A SURVEILLANCE team from the National Fisheries Authority (NFA) has been set up in Moukele village in the Fisherman Island outside Port Moresby.

This immediate response came after a media report to bring to NFA’s attention the hardships and problems faced by the villagers.

Chairman of Moukele community development committee (MCDC) Moale Vagi told The National on Wednesday that NFA responded immediately the day after the report was published and thanked the media for being their voice and bringing their message across.

“By putting things on media makes people move; I also thank NFA for their immediate response and positive feedback,” he said.

Vagi thanked NFA enforcement manager Gisa Komangin and his team for setting up surveillance to safeguard their shores from other nearby villagers who had been fishing and illegally collecting their sea cucumbers since the ban in 2009.

“Lately with the surveillance activities, we have not experienced any illegal activities in our shores, maybe they are going elsewhere,” he said.

Vagi again asked if NFA could do awareness in other villages to make them understand why the ban was in place.

When NFA visited the village, they had a meeting to increase surveillance in the area and stop people from illegal fishing. 

Vagi said dynamite fishing was also banned and asked NFA to give alternatives of what other user friendly fishing techniques they could use on their shores.

“We (Moukele) have strong rules and regulations in place to control our people from illegal fishing and they have respected the law since the ban and we expect our nearby villagers to do the same,” he said.

Vagi and MCDC had made submissions of K100,000 to NFA project development fund general manager Presley Kokwaiye to secure funds to buy fishing equipment of fishing lines, nets, boats, diving gears and a freezer truck worth K40,000. 

Meanwhile, Komangin said that NFA was carrying out country-wide surveillance in trying to minimise illegal harvest during the closure period.

“We disregarded house enforcement and have taken on awareness in villagers and collecting information of who is encouraging this illegal activity, is it the funders or buyers,” he said.

He said the three-year closure was not to disadvantage anybody but assist villagers in conservation purposes.

“If people respect the closure they will reap benefits and have more resources when NFA decides to open the season,” he said.