National Fisheries Authority (NFA)
Papua New Guinea
‘Effectively Managing Our Fisheries and Marine Resources for Sustainable and Equitable Benefits’
Project Management
Current List of Projects
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Project Overviews
Pacific Marine Industrial Zone (PMIZ)
The Pacific Marine Industrial Zone (PMIZ) is one of the major Economic Impact Projects, approved by GoPNG, amongst other major work programmes, put in place to support the sustainable development of the fisheries sector. The project's aim is to promote the development of basic infrastructure and to reduce post harvest losses via the construction of modern fishing port complex in Vidar Plantation - Madang, so as to increase supplies of aquatic products.
The establishment of a Marine Industrial Park should be seen as a handy tool to enhance economics of scale, to benefit all stakeholders by increasing the volume and value of down-streamed processed tuna products and to reduce the exports of whole frozen tuna exports. The project is at its initial stage between the State and RD Group of Companies. Negotiations are concurrent, with the State adamant to get the project off the ground.
Wewak Fish Market & Jetty
The project consists of three major components; (i) Improvement of the Wewak Market, (ii) Renovation of
the Wewak Jetty and (iii) Procurement of related equipment and materials complementing to the above facilities. The jetty is an essential part of the Market by means of providing accessibility to the market and also plays an important role in the promotion of artisanal fisheries.
The project consists of three major components namely:
i) Improvement of the Wewak Market;
ii) Renovation of the Wewak Jetty; and
iii) Procurement of related equipment and materials complementing to the above facilities
PNG Maritime Boundaries Delimitation Project
The project is a national project with 20 stakeholders. It is currently headed by the Department of Justice and Attorney General under the office of the State Solicitor. The initiation of the project is a result of PNG's obligation under the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
This project is of great significance for PNG in terms of national security, deep sea mining and of course the fishing industry. The extension of the continental shelf by another 150 kilometres from the current 200 mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) indeed extends our fishing grounds and the high seas for our commercial fishing operations. This is strategically aligned as it would take advantage of the improved Rules of Origin (RoO) under the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union.
The project has done most of the data collection and is now in the verification process to verify archipelagic base points, foot of the slope (FOS) through the use of hydrograhic charts, topographic maps and satellite imagery. A final joint submission should be made with Federated State of Micronesia (FSM) and Solomon Islands to the European Commission (EC) on the Extended Continental Shelf by May 2009.
Coastal Fisheries Management and Development Project (CFMDP)
Coastal fisheries resources contribute significantly to both food security and community incomes throughout the Pacific region. But in places like Papua New Guinea, poor access to seafood markets, a paucity of information and understanding about how to properly manage coastal resources, and a need for training in better management and resource assessment, are further complicated by PNG’s sheer size and widely dispersed and remotely located communities.
A US$ 10 million project to promote the sustainable development and management of marine resources in Papua New Guinea’s coastal waters is well underway and is already showing positive signs of building the capacity of coastal Papua New Guineans.
Funded by the PNG government through a concessionary loan by the Asian Development Bank, the PNG Coastal Fisheries Management and Development Project (CFMDP) is implemented by the PNG National Fisheries Authority. The CFMDP works directly with national, provincial and local fisheries administrations, the seafood industry, NGOs, and village communities in four of PNG’s coastal provinces.
CFMDP has five main areas of activity: infrastructure development, fisheries assessment and monitoring, strengthening information flows, community-based fisheries management, and institutional strengthening. Project activities are initially focusing on New Ireland Province because some infrastructure is already in place, and because NFA has good support facilities in the province.
Infrastructure development
Throughout coastal PNG, improved wharves, jetties, and fish freezing and storage facilities are needed. For example, in Daru, in PNG’s Western Province (one of the project sites), a proper fish landing area and better wharf facilities would not only make it possible for fishing boats to land and offload fish catches more efficiently, but would also improve the sanitation conditions and reduce the turnaround time for users who come from distant islands. The CFMDP will begin construction of a small-boat jetty there later this year.
In places where infrastructure has already been developed, it has changed the way that local fishermen operate. As an example, a small boat jetty in Kavieng, in PNG’s New Ireland Province, now allows fishermen to offload their catch to nearby market facilities, as well as to refuel, buy ice, and load cargo all in one place. Next to the small boat jetty is a larger-scale wharf that can accommodate commercial tuna fishing vessels. Such a wharf rationalizes a facility that allows for cold storage, ice production, air freight and refrigerated shipping. This facility in turn creates opportunities for small-scale fishermen whose catch would otherwise never justify such an infrastructure.
Fisheries assessment and monitoring
The CFMDP’s one-year program of sampling fish landings will provide a picture of the pattern of fish landings and use within New Ireland Province. The data will allow the CFMDP team to identify which resources are economically or socially important, and which may require management attention.
A baseline socioeconomic survey to ascertain the economic role of fisheries and the nature of people’s attitudes to resource use, conservation and management in New Ireland Province, is already providing some interesting indicators of resource management concerns and issues, such as the over-use of Derris sp., a poisonous plant that is used to catch fish; dynamite fishing and its impact on reefs and marine resources; illegal fishing in PNG waters; and better management of community reef and mangrove resources. Some 800 interviews have been conducted and nearly all the data have been entered into the project database. The survey will be repeated in three years and will help to judge the success of the project.
Strengthening information flows
During project scoping meetings, coastal fisheries stakeholders – who included members of local communities, commercial and subsistence fishers, national and provincial governments, non-governmental organizations and the seafood industry – consistently repeated that they needed better and more regular information on various fisheries-related topics. As a consequence of this demonstrated interest, the CFMDP includes a significant information component, which is currently developing appropriate information products and is establishing effective information delivery systems.
A variety of information materials have already been produced, ranging from comic books for primary school children about destructive fishing practices and reef conservation to weekly radio spots, with topics that include HIV/AIDS and seafarers, overfishing, and safety at sea. Other information materials — such as posters that indicate why mangroves are important to both people and the marine resources they depend on, and video documentary-dramas that depict the negative impacts of dynamite fishing and using poisonous plants — are being produced to help reinforce the messages in the comics and radio programs. The aim is to develop information that is both interesting and readily understood by a range of people, and which reinforces the project’s goals.
Community-based fisheries management
The CFMDP has developed course manuals and has implemented a one-month training program for local and provincial fisheries officers in community-based management (CBM) and communication skills. Following on from this training, the CFMDP is working with a local New Ireland Province NGO, Ailan Awareness, to raise awareness about CBM through village “road shows”, making use of plays, songs and videos, and radio programs to deliver their message. Follow up visits are made to communities that express a keen interest in actively managing their marine resources.
Four communities have been selected for more comprehensive support, and the team is providing them with assistance and technical input in order for them to develop their own fishery management plans. The ultimate goal is to get a significant proportion — approximately 25% — of coastal waters around New Ireland Province under some form of community or customary-based protection.
Two international NGOs directly support the community-based management program by providing funding and helping to carry out activities that support or complement those of the CBM program. For example, Wildlife Conservation Society is undertaking resource monitoring of some of the participating communities’ reefs, while The Nature Conservancy is helping Ailan Awareness to set up accounting and financial control systems so that the NGO will be self –sufficient before the CFMDP ends in 2007.
Institutional strengthening
One of the key elements of the project is building local capacity to assist with, and then take over, the fisheries management activities the CFMDP is setting up.
In New Ireland Province several training courses for local fishery officers, observers and port samplers have been run. As a result there is now a competent and motivated field team whose members are taking responsibility for many aspects of the project’s work program. Later this year, the project will take the same approach in other target provinces, Morobe and Milne Bay.
According to Garry Preston, Team Leader for the project, “The CFMDP project represents a comprehensive, integrated approach to coastal fishery management that is of relevance to other Pacific Island countries and locations. Our project will be happy to share its experience and information with interested parties from countries in the region.”
Chinese Government Cold Storage & Fish Processing Plant
The Project is one of the results of the Aid Agreement between the Chinese Government and the PNG Government on Economic and Technical Cooperation of 20 December, 2002. Following from the December 2002 agreement, an MOU was signed between the two Governments in December 2003, which aimed to increase fisheries cooperation between the two countries. NFA with the cooperation of the Chinese Government have successfully completed the Fish Processing and Cold Storage Facility at a cost of US$10 million.
It is intended that the Fish Processing and Cold Storage Facility will have tuna loining capacity of 50 tons per day, blast freezing at 15 tons per day, cold storage at 220 tons and ice making at 10 tons per day which essentially represents a huge investment in the sector.
The focus of the facility is to assist the small – medium fisheries entrepreneurs, whether they are one hundred percent locally owned enterprises or joint venture enterprises of foreign and local. However, this does not completely exclude the foreign investors.
Nago Island Research Facility
In 2008 the National Fisheries Authority will commence construction of the new Nago Island Research Facility.
This Facility will provide a unique venue for NFA and visiting researchers to work in a pristine environment on a range of aquaculture and research activities.The facility will be operated under the new NFA Institute for Sustainable Marine Resources being established by NFA in 2008.
Fisheries Credit Fund
Credit schemes for the fisheries sector is a new initiative the National Fisheries Authority has established to provide accessible credit facilities to fishermen in all the maritime provinces and for aquaculture operations in the highlands of PNG. Early this year based on NEC decision, NFA presented K5 million to the National Development Bank. This K5 million is part of a K15 million to be made available to fishermen in the country over the next 15 years to provide credit facilities for the much needed support measures to the fisheries sector.
This credit facility is aimed at providing financial assistance as credit loans to coastal and fluvial fishing groups and or individuals as a means to increasing their income opportunities. The vision of such a scheme is a cooperative and committed initiative by the boards, management and staff of both NFA and NDB towards realizing the government's drive for delivering economic growth and sustainable development.
The credit facilities are organized into three categories to cater for various interested members of the public and are intended to make credit/loans available under the scheme.
These are:
i) Micro-Credit line is primarily targeting the village based rural farmer with a minimum loan credit of K1, 000 and a maximum loan credit of K5, 000.
ii) The Small Business Credit Line which is targeting the small fishing enterprises with the aim of
assisting these enterprises to strengthen their operations and become new segments of viable
small enterprises. The minimum loan under this category is K5001 while the maximum is K50, 000.
iii) The Business Credit Line specifically targets the established private fishing companies and fisheries corporatives or associations that have been successful and are expanding their operations.
GTZ Vudal GTZ/NFA funded Fisheries Degree/Diploma Training (University of Natural Resources and Environment-UNRE (Vudal))
This project is an initiative of the GoPNG and the German Government. Both have formally approved GTZ technical assistance concerning capacity building in the fisheries sector. The project will cover two and half years of implementation, which will focus mainly on providing direct facilitation role towards developing tertiary education training in fisheries science and development.
The two main stakeholders in PNG are the National Fisheries Authority (NFA) and the University of Natural Resources and Environment-UNRE (formerly University of Vudal) who will provide the lead role and guidance in implementing the technical assistance in delivering the programme on behalf of the Government of PNG. As main partner in Germany, the Centre for Marine Tropical Ecology (ZMT), Bremen, was commissioned by GTZ. A MoU between implementing partners was drafted in December 2005.
Aquarium Fish Trade
Marine aquarium fish trade involves the collection of live ornamental fish and invertebrates for display in public aquariums. The main groups of marine aquarium fishes are coral fish and butterfly fish, anemone fish and damsel fish, surgeon fish, tangs and Moorish idols, wrasses, angel fish, trigger fish, gobies, blennies, basslets and small groupers, puffer fish, rabbit fish, hawk fish, cardinal fish, boxfish and leatherjackets.
The international aquarium industry is a multi-million dollar industry and PNG has not yet realized its economic
potential. PNG is well posed to fully tap this multi-million dollar trade as the aquarium resources of the country are virtually untapped. In PNG's favour are its ecologically pristine marine environments, abundance of multi species of ornamental fishes which are not found anywhere in the world, sustainable fishing practices and a strongly knitted bond within village communities that may provide for the active involvement of fisheries management areas (or cooperatives).
It should be pointed out that sustainability of aquarium trade, in addition to resource management would be at the core of ensuring that commercialization of the fishery is successful. This is critical while taking into account that the skill level and knowledge concerning the trade is very minimal or non existent at this time in the industry. It is therefore imperative that an entity with the necessary expertise and experience should pioneer ornamental fish trade thereby setting the fundamentals to further develop the industry with minimum setbacks.
Rural Coastal Fisheries Development Programme (RCFDP)
The objective of this project is to contribute to a sustainable improvement in the welfare of rural coastal communities in PNG by increasing rural family incomes through greater participation in the sustainable harvesting and improved marketing of marine resources. It is anticipated that the following outputs should be achieved:
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Increased landings of finfish and other underexploited marine resources
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Increase catch values through improved handling, marketing and distribution
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Increase annual earnings of fishermen and processing workers trained by the project
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Improved management of inshore enthic species to allow an increase in the sustainable harvest
Project components are:
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Provision of appropriate locally-built fishing boats and equipment which initially will be government owned and operated but will be eventually transferred to fishing families, and managed and maintained by private sector
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Training in seamanship, fishing skills, fish handling, small business management, processing and export marketing for fishing families and processing firms
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Developing sustainable fish aggregating devices (FAD) deployment in conjunction with the industrial fishing sector
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Improve the availability of ice
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Increase fish retail marketing opportunities by constructing simple fish market facilities
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Promote education and awareness of marine resources management issues and providing training
Japanese Government Funds Fisheries Projects in Madang
The Japanese Government has approved another magnificent fisheries project to be funded under the fisheries grant component of the Japanese Overseas Development Assistance. The National Fisheries Authority has submitted a proposal in 2011 through the Department of National Planning and Monitoring to the Government of Japan to fund the project and this project has been approved. This project will cost approximately US$5 million.
More than 80,000 people of Madang town, the surrounding communities and other users of Madang market will benefit from the new Madang Market and Fisheries Jetty Project.
According to the Managing Director of the National Fisheries Authority, Mr. Sylvester Pokajam, the proposed project will involve the construction of the vegetables and fish market buildings, the development of a fisheries jetty, which includes the ice making and ice cum fish storage facilities, the expansion of the waterway into the lagoon and construction of a hanging bridge, and procurement and installation of related equipment and materials such as the water reservoir and emergency generator to complement the market facilities.
Mr. Pokajam however said that the project is part of a series of projects earmarked for coastal maritime provinces, similar to the new Wewak Market and Jetty, with the primary objective of enhancing fisheries production at the artisanal level for local Papua New Guineans by strengthening fish distribution capabilities, by providing sound and hygienic market condition for the daily market users. The construction of the fisheries jetty, ice making and fish landing facilities will enhance market accessibility and promote local fishermen and coastal fisheries development in general in terms of increasing cash income opportunities and promoting local fishing businesses.
The development of the jetty and the expansion of the waterway into the lagoon is not only an essential part of the market by means of improvement of accessibility to the market but also plays an important role in the promotion of artisanal fisheries as center of the regional fisheries development and enhancement of the town infrastructure, physical features and beautification. The jetty, ice making and landing facilities once developed, will be used as a center of artisanal fisheries development as well as a base of sea transportation for banana boats that link remote communities and the Madang market.
NFA deploys IFAD Program into Maritime Provinces
PNG National Fisheries Authority has deployed Inshore Fish Aggregating Device (IFAD) into PNG Maritime Provinces basically to provide food security, income generation and alleviate poverty for over populated small islands and coastal provinces under pressure. Subsequently the IFAD will be used as a conservation and management concept for the sustainability of the fisheries resources especially from the reefs.
When the coastal communities are focused on the IFAD areas of fishing, the reefs will be slowly recovering and allow natural reproduction for the sustainable marine and fisheries resource. Population has been increased in the coastal communities and subsequently the level of harvesting of natural resources especially the fisheries and marine resources are tremendously increased and this has put a lot of pressure on the fisheries resources and ecosystems.
As the mandated authority, NFA continues to strive to promote equitable and sustainable fisheries development management in PNG by deploying IFADS so that the coastal communities can benefit overwhelmingly. NFA initiated IFAD program basically to support coastal communities to provide food security and alternative income generation. This project will support the objective of NFA Corporate Plan 2008‐2012 and government Policy ‐Vision 2050 the Development Strategic Plan and Mid‐Term Development Strategy that supports sustainable resources management, food security and provide alternative income generations for the people of PNG.
NFA has already started IFAD deployment in East Sepik Province and will eventually move over to other provinces very shortly. NFA Fisheries Management Unit particularly Inshore division will conduct awareness, Training and consultative meetings in each maritime provinces prior to the deployment of the IFAD. This meeting will involve partners, agencies, provincial fisheries officers, local communities, stakeholders and industry representatives to come up with a way forward on how effectively these IFADs will be managed and utilized.
Two More New Tuna Processing Plants to Bring Higher Returns into PNG
Papua New Guinea through the National Fisheries Authority (NFA) will benefit from the two lucrative Tuna Processing Plants which will be established in Lae, Morobe Province and Vidar towards the North Coast Road in Madang Province. Sir Michael Ogio, Governor General of Papua New Guinea signed the respective Project Agreements with the investors; Nambawan Seafoods and the Niugini Tuna Ltd. It is anticipated that Nuigini Tuna Ltd will inject US$27.9 million (K87 million) and Nambawan seafood will inject US$11,731,504 (K36 million) in foreign direct investment in to the PNG economy.
Nambawan Seafoods Tuna Limited is a Joint Venture (JV) between Trans Pacific Journey Fishing Corporation and TSP Marine Industries (TSP Livestock and Development Corporation) of Philippines to build a 150 metric tons per day tuna loining and canning plant in Lae, Morobe Province. The Morobe Provincial Government who is the host of the Project is very supportive of investors to establish tuna processing plants and shore-based investment in Morobe, especially at the Malahang industrial area. PNG through NFA has committed to ensuring that the National Government’s initiative of downstream processing of fisheries resources is fully realized through Morobe Province as a maritime province with large coastal and inland areas.
Niugini Tuna Limited; a tripartite Joint Venture (JV) between RD Corporation of Philippines, Fairwell Fishery Group of Taiwan and Tri Marine International of Singapore to build a 200 metric tons per day tuna loining and canning plant. Madang Province is part of the move by the government to encourage onshore tuna processing in the country especially at the Pacific Marine Industrial Zone. The proposed integrated fisheries development project by Niugini Tuna Limited will include primarily: tuna fishing, tuna loining and canning and fish meal processing.
The Papua New Guinea Government is committed to develop onshore processing and related downstream and value adding operations of tuna fishery and other marine resources harvested in its fisheries waters and the Pacific Ocean fishing zones. This commitment by Government is in support of its Export Driven Economic Growth Development Strategy which supports downstream processing and value adding of PNG’s natural resources.
Sylvester Pokajam, Managing Director of National Fisheries Authority said that PNG through NFA supports foreign investment to help develop the domestic industrial base to process tuna caught in and outside of PNG’s Exclusive Economic Zone. It is in line with the Government’s existing economic development policies that are aimed at boosting economic growth and generate activities that support the net economic benefits to the national economy. Once these two processing plants are established, PNG will now have a total of seven Tuna processing plants and canneries.