The National Fisheries Authority (NFA) recently conducted a week-long stakeholder consultation workshop on the Mud Crab Fishery with relevant stakeholders. The workshop was held to review the National Mud Crab Fishery Plan that came into force in 2019.
Since 7th October 2019, the gazette National Mud Crab Management Plan is the first gazette management plan review and consultation workshop conducted by NFA to purposely address implementation issues, provide information on the biology, ecology and socioeconomics that impact this fishery and to ensure effective management and sustainability of this mud crab fishery going forward.
The Management Plan as per gazette will be reviewed by the NFA every two (2) years or at such earlier time as the NFA Managing Director or the NFA Board shall direct.
The plan’s management objectives are to ensure long term livelihood benefits of resource owners, maintain all species of mud crab at biological sustainable levels, and sustain economic benefits and to enable involvement of all relevant stakeholders in managing this fishery.
The mud crab fishery plan review involves opinions from government agencies, licensed operators, buyers, resources owners, provincial administrations, Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (CEPA), Academia (UPNG), private citizens in discussing suite of issues from licensing, exportation, marketing and many other challenges encountered.
Reviewing the management plan makes it more relevant to stakeholders so they benefit in the long term, whilst ensuring biological sustainability of the fishery.
It is important to sustainably manage the mud crab fishery for the long-term livelihood of the mud crab resource owner, maintaining all species of mud crab populations at biologically sustainable levels, sustaining the economic benefit of resource owners and industry, and enabling resource owners, industry, other relevant groups and research institutions involved in the management of the fishery.
Those that participated at the workshop raised their concerns and acknowledged NFA’s effort in conducting such consultation with them therefore, giving them the opportunity to address challenges they encounter in the fishery.
Following the workshop, NFA will now proceed to gazette the amended plan and improve the implementation of this plan so that this fishery plan will continue to generate income for resource owners and the industry.