Pacific tuna stocks in good health

Business

TUNA stocks in the Pacific region are in good health and have not been overfished, says Pacific Island News Association (Pina) president Kora Nou.
Nou made the statement yesterday during a media workshop on issues relating to the management and development of tuna fishing in the region prior to the 7th Pacific Tuna Forum (PTF) to be held in Port Moresby on Thursday and Friday. “The latest tuna fisheries card 2019 presented at the recent Pacific Leaders Meeting in Tuvalu reported that all major tuna stocks in the region, the skipjack, the South Pacific Albacore, yellowfin and big eye have not been overfished and are in good health,” he said.
“The report goes on to say that license and excess fees were at an all-time high, surpassing US$500 million (K1.6billion) in 2018, providing around 22,500 jobs in 2017, from only 7,000 in 2013.”
Nou said according to the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, (SPC) PNG earned about US$128 (K425.5 million), almost US$129 million (K428.9m), in license fees from tuna.
He said this represented 4.9 per cent of the government’s total revenue.
Nou told journalists to learn about the country’s tuna industry and link that with the benefits that the government was getting and the flow-on effect down to the people and communities.
The National Fisheries Authority (NFA) managing director John Kasu said the media played a vital role in disseminating information to the masses.
He said having a media training prior to the PTF was vital as it would help journalists to accurately inform the public.
Kasu said tuna was an important product not only to Papua New Guinea but across the Pacific region.
“It’s very important as it generates that much needed revenue that comes into the country to be able to support the activities that are in country,” Kasu said.