Roadmap for coastal fisheries and marine aquaculture for Papua New Guinea: 2017–2026.

The Roadmap for coastal fisheries and marine aquaculture for Papua New Guinea is a strategic management and development framework with a cross-sectoral approach. The timeframe of the policy is 10 years between 2017 and 2026. The goal of this policy is to ensure sustainable development and management of coastal resources and marine aquaculture to provide income opportunities and ecosystem benefits to the communities and the whole nation whilst ensuring food security or the long-term health of the resources.
This policy lays down short-, medium- and long-term strategies to ensure the continued economic benefits and biological and ecological sustainability of coastal and marine resources. The capacity of the National Fisheries Authority will be enhanced, and its structure will be reformed to fully implement effective policies, legislation, management frameworks, and financing mechanisms. Therefore, the priority of the National Fisheries Authority is to support sustainable development and management of coastal fisheries and marine aquaculture through key mechanisms, including provincial fisheries grants to Provincial Fisheries Offices/Authority; project development funds; micro-financing arrangements with various agencies; memorandum of understanding between National Fisheries Authority and Provincial Fisheries Offices; and provincial fisheries planning support. Coastal Fisheries Management Group will be established to ensure coordination within National Fisheries Authority. Monitoring, evaluation and feasibility assessment of proposed and existing projects will be carried out by establishing the Monitoring and Evaluation Facility. A National Coastal Fisheries Management and Development Policy will be developed, and the legal framework will be reviewed to clarify the rights and responsibilities in coastal fisheries co-management, particularly of communities as well as various levels of government. Coastal fisheries management and sustainable development strategies and activities will be aligned and coordinated at national and provincial level. A special emphasis will be given on capacity development and access to information for capacity building, education and awareness-raising activities to all stakeholders, including women and youth, for strengthening the management and sustainable development of coastal resources and marine aquaculture. The management and restoration of coastal resources will be improved to maintain long-term social and economic benefits for coastal and island communities. Improved management systems will be developed for coastal fisheries, especially, sea cucumber fisheries and the bêche-de-mer trade to maximize long-term economic value and ecological sustainability. The pressure on inshore wild fisheries resources will be reduced and sustainable revenue will be increased to resource dependent communities from the assessment and implementation of targeted supplementary and alternative income generation activities. To this end, the development and capacity building of cooperatives and fish workers in all stages of the value chain will be supported, and small and medium enterprises will be supported through extension services. Moreover, appropriate deployment of inshore fish aggregating devices, seaweed farming, sandfish farming, aquarium species, trap nets, inland aquaculture and recreational fishing will be promoted.