Report on the Implementation of the derogation to ... - Trade Websites

Final <strong>Report</strong>
RoO Derogation under the PACP-IEPA
as long as PNG catch and effort are harmonized within overall regional limits and can be
accommodated within existing mechanisms and rules, then some flexibility in the distribution of
catch and effort is permitted for migratory/mobile species. However, there are concerns that such
harmonization is not occurring.
PNG has no specific management measures such as effort or catch limits in place for archipelagic
waters (AW), which make up 26% of PNG waters by area, but have contributed proportionally less of
the total catch (10-15% in most recent years). However, this is of potential concern since AW are
exempt from VDS allocations and thus, outside existing PNA effort regulation. In addition, licences
associated with new processing plants are likely to be linked to AW access, at least in case of smaller
vessels. In practice, and especially with the considerable increase in effort and catch during 2010 and
2011 in the PNG EEZ waters which largely surround the AW, fish availability in AW has been reduced,
with resulting lower catch rates than in EEZ waters. 187 It is likely that effort in the already heavily
fished AW will become self regulating, as vessels regularly leave AW in search of better catch rates in
the more extensive EEZ waters. Local depletion as result of increased effort in AW is not seen as an
issue for migratory tunas, with replenishment likely to be rapid once effort is reduced, and no
permanent damage sustained to stocks in AW waters. In the long term, it would be desirable to
remove the AW exemptions from the VDS, although this in itself would not prevent temporary local
depletion.
PNG has long had high logsheet coverage of its purse seine and longline fleets (> 80% coverage),
backed up by an efficient licensing system for foreign and domestic/locally based vessels, with
associated licensing conditions which reflect domestication policy. PNG/NFA has long carried out its
own data entry, and compiles authoritative catch and export summaries for the WCPFC Annual
<strong>Report</strong> Part 1. 189
There is a large PNG national observer programme covering all fisheries, including tuna, with over
200 trained observers currently on the roster, and plans to expand this to more than 400. Average
tuna vessel observer coverage, over the past 6 years to 2009, even prior to 100% coverage
requirements, has been 86% for PNG domestic vessels, 61% for chartered vessels and 29% for
foreign vessels. In 2010, under the requirements of CM 2008-01, close to 100% coverage of foreign
vessels was achieved, as was the case for the region, and over 80% for other vessels. 190 The PNG
observer programme is the largest in the region and probably the most effective at national level. It
sets the standards for other programmes in the region and expects to expand in the near future, and
supplies large numbers of observers for regional coverage Training for national and regional
observers is also provided on a significant scale by PNG. Observer data entry is currently carried out
by SPC in PNG, and there remains a significant backlog, but it is hoped this might be possible in the
future.
The PNG national VMS system has been in operation for some years, and similar to the observer
programme, has been a regional benchmark. It will serve as the model for the new PNA VDS system
currently being established. It is planned to move to a web-based system in the near future, with an
electronic data reporting system using and various data sources (e.g. VDS, catch and effort, licensing,
SPS, IUU and observer data linked in a single online system).
On its own initiative, PNG/NFA also supports a large port sampling programme (to characterize size
and species composition of the catch) and recently, a PNG tuna tagging programme aimed to
188
187 Interviews, PNG fishing industry representatives, September 2011.
188 Usu 2011; summary data to 2009; data for 2010 verbally supplied.
189 L. Kumoru, NFA, pers.comm., September 2011.
190 NFA official, pers. comm., September 2010 re: 2010 data.
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