Whale Shark’s release by the FIA PNG tuna fleet F/V Papa Resty

Papa Resty December 2025

FIA PNG office continuously maintains an awareness training program with our members about the Responsible Sourcing Policy and its pillars.

Particularly, on the sustainability pillars, our members also carry out refreshment training and pre-embarking de-briefing before departing for a fishing trip. This is about several topics that include best practices for handling endangered, treated and protected species (ETP).

Whale sharks’ importance in the marine ecosystem plays a vital role in the marine food chain. Our Crew is constantly collecting videos to show how they are part of this change in bringing a positive impact on the PNG tuna fishery and the Western Central Pacific Ocean, specifically in the Papua New Guinea waters.

In December 2025, in this video, we observe in action the fishing vessel Papa Resty’s crew members from the Trans-Pacific Journey (TPJ) tuna fleet releasing and saving a whale shark as part of our FIA PNG’s effort for the conservation of ETP. Our members as TPJ prefer to release this species directly from the net when it is still on the water, that facilitate the handling and the survival.

During 2026, we will be sharing regularly videos of ETP handling onboard provided by our tuna fleet members when they are fishing in the PNG Economic Exclusive Zones and Archipelagic Waters to demonstrate compliance and efforts to protect our Biodiversity.