Zeming urges coastal community to guard against illegal fishing

Minister for Fisheries Mao Zeming is urging coastal community and national leaders to work with the National Fisheries Authority to ensure the new management plan was implemented well on the lifting of the ban on beche-de-mer.

“The new management plan has a hierarchal structure that entails authorities at communities, local level government, and provincial level working together to protect this fishery and its ecosystem and ensure its long term survival.

“I call on Ben Micah and Gordon Wesley, my colleagues who have been outspoken on this fishery lately, to help implement this new management plan in their provinces so their people truly get the benefit they deserve.”

Zeming said trials would be conducted in Milne Bay Province next month (December), before the harvest of beche-de-mer resumes in the first half of 2017.

He further called on the general public to understand the new management plan, and take action on any illegal activities taking place in their waters.

“Our surveillance and border protection capabilities are very limited, so I urge people in our coastal communities to be vigilant, and support the NFA and other law enforcement authorities guard against illegal harvest of our resource,” he said.

“The ban will be lifted in the first half of 2017, but we all be vigilant against illegal behaviour that threatens the long term prospects of our fishery,” he added.

 

Author: 
Freddy Mou