FIA PNG Strengthens Environmental and Social Accountability in Papua New Guinea
This week, our MSC & Sustainability team is spending five days at the Port of Rabaul—one of the Pacific Ocean’s largest tuna transhipment ports.
Marine Litter and Fishing Gear
Our Marine Litter and Fishing Gear (ML&FG) audit team—@Stephanie Pokajam and @Alice Posanau, supported by our COO, @Marcelo Hidalgo - is assessing compliance among our tuna fleet members with FIA PNG’s due diligence requirements for marine litter and ghost gear.
These requirements are important from environmental, economic, and regulatory perspectives. Lost or abandoned fishing gear—commonly known as ghost gear—can entangle and injure marine life, including turtles, sharks, and tuna. By identifying, measuring, and addressing sources of marine litter, our audits help promote healthier ocean habitats and protect biodiversity.
FIA PNG is committed to biodiversity conservation. We believe that tackling ghost gear and marine litter, while promoting best practices to reduce bycatch, can help minimise the environmental impact of the tuna purse seine fleet.
The tuna fleets of Trans-Pacific Journey and Fairwell Fishing generously provided our team with access to several vessels to conduct the audits.
A cleaner marine environment and sustainable tuna stocks benefit everyone, helping secure the livelihoods of local communities that depend on the fishery.
Social Accountability Internal Auditor Sign-Off
Qualified and competent auditors are essential to the success of the FIA PNG RSP initiative. To ensure that our auditors meet the required standards and are capable of assessing RSP requirements and KPIs, we have established a formal sign-off process aligned with ISO 9001 principles.
Over two days with the Trans-Pacific Journey tuna fleet, a new sign-off process was implemented following both off-site and on-site audits with more than 120 hours of auditing. The process included external and internal training designed to meet rigorous qualification requirements.
The audit methodology follows ISO 19011:2018 and supports the FISH standard for crew certification held by our tuna fleet.
“The audit reflects FIA PNG’s commitment to protecting the environment, supporting sustainable fisheries, improving crew welfare, and strengthening economic stability. Together, these efforts help position Papua New Guinea as a trusted leader in the global tuna trade.” — Marcelo Hidalgo, COO, FIA PNG
After a productive week at the Port of Rabaul, our team will travel to the Port of Lae to continue FIA PNG RSP activities. Stay tuned for further updates.
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