The Fishing Industry Association (PNG) Inc., (FIA PNG), in collaboration with the specialized consultancy organisation, Seafoodmatter, has designed a workshop on social responsibility and working conditions on board fishing vessels. The training provides attendees with the necessary tools available on the market to ensure that products from the fishing activity are captured under legal, safe, free and ethical conditions. The training & workshop takes place in person from 21 - 22 June, 2022, at the Lae International Hotel, Lae city. More than 35 representatives from the National Fisheries Authorities, FIA PNG and Fishing Company members from Wewak, Madang, and Lae were registered to attend.
Marine Stewardship Council Consultation meeting for the Action plan of the MSC PNG tuna certification
A dedicated session between the National Fishery Authority NFA representatives, PNG tuna fishing companies, and the Fishing Industry Association FIA PNG was carried out to discuss the next steps in the implementation of the action plan for the conditions obtained during the certification. This FIA PNG and NFA workshop included the review of the 12 conditions and it was highly focused on MSC fishery standard principle 2 and principle 3 performance indicators including FADs impact, ETP species handling, and internal monitoring of CMM regulations.
The Training & Workshop on Social Accountability
The Training & workshop is based on the ISO 19011:2018 standard and constitutes a guide for the audit management system and its application in which it evaluates social and work aspects on board.
This training action deals with the social and labor aspects that must occur within the framework of human rights and ethical behavior, and is aligned with the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). In short, it is about acquiring adequate knowledge about the regulations, tools and controls available to evaluate the practices and conditions in an activity as particular as fishing.
The workshop covers in detail the aspects that must be considered to create the trust that the products that reach the next step in the supply chain after capture have been obtained in legal, safe, free and ethical conditions. The workshop is based on ILO convention 188, F.I.S.H for Crew Standard, Human Rights Conventions, Human Rights at Sea, Fisheries Crime from the UN drugs and crime department guidance, Copenhagen declaration and Social Accountability Tools available online.
Main benefits
The MSC consultation meeting between NFA and FIA PNG set up the planning process for achieving the conditions in a joint effort between these organizations.
On the other hand, the benefits of doing this training are extensive. On the one hand, it allows for an exhaustive knowledge of the labor schemes on the conditions on board in the fishing sector. It also seeks tools to assess suppliers (fishing vessels) about possible human rights abuses in the value chain.
This similar workshop has been also carried out in person by the FIA PNG Sustainability Director and Seafoodmatter trainer, Marcelo Hidalgo in Australia, Mauritius Islands, Ecuador and Spain.
The FIA PNG appreciates the collaboration, support and assistance of the National Fisheries Authority in convening this training and workshop.
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