He said under the plan he has approved today for the National Fisheries Authority, rebates would only be given to fishing fleets or companies that process fish in PNG.

The prime minister said all fleets that fish in PNG waters must be fully compliant with the State Agreements that they had agreed to and signed.

Thai Union Pcl, the world's largest producer of canned tuna, said on Thursday it expected second-quarter sales to be higher than the first quarter due to seasonal factors in fisheries.

Supply is usually higher in the current quarter, which is expected to lower costs and boost sales, although tuna prices are still volatile due to weather patterns and campaigns promoting sustainable fisheries, Bunlung Waiyanont, investor relations manager, told reporters, without elaborating.

Thai Union had sales of 31.4 billion baht ($910.7 million)in the first quarter, when net profit jumped 19 percent to 1.47 billion baht.

The profit was helped by its investment in U.S. seafood chain Red Lobster, foreign exchange gains and lower tax expenses, the firm said.

Ecuador's tuna sector exports grew 2 per cent in the first three months of 2017 compared to the same period in 2016, helped by the trade agreement signed with the European Union.

The director of the  Ecuadorian Chamber of Industrialists and Tuna Processors (CEIPA), Mónica Maldonado, explained that in the first quarter the members of her union confirmed the orders that depended on that agreement, and stressed that during the first months of the year a lot of tuna is consumed due to Lent, reported  El Telégrafo.

The sector's concern was that if it did not negotiate the agreement with the EU, it should pay a tariff of 24 per cent.

"We have direct competitiveness from Asia and although it has a tariff of 12 per cent, it already covers the market. Not signing meant a loss of more than 60 per cent of loin and preserve exports," explained Maldonado.

The Ghana Tuna Association (GTA) urges the government to implement favourable policies in order to ensure that the country can maintain its status as the tuna hub of West Africa.

GTA's request is based on the fact that the tuna sector provides the government with about USD 250 million revenue annually as well as direct and indirect jobs.

In this regard, GTA chairperson John Farmer claimed Ghana was gradually losing its position as the tuna hub of West Africa to the Ivory Coast.

The leader explains that certain policies and regulations of governmental agencies such as high port charges and operations were starting to have a negative effect on tuna exports.

Observer electronic reporting tools - through the new Observer eReporting App -will now be used to help reduce illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and bolster supply chain transparency and traceability in the Western and Central Pacific tuna fisheries.

 

A 2016 analysis conducted by the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) showed that nonreporting, misreporting and underreporting represented the greatest proportion of IUU fishing, resulting in a $600 million loss for the region.

 

"Transparency and traceability are crucial for good fisheries management, and this technology was a significant step towards combating IUU and securing sustainable fisheries," said WWF's Western and Central Pacific Tuna Program Manager, Bubba Cook.

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) announced today the adoption of three new and two amended  conservation measures to facilitate continuous improvement across global tuna fisheries. These five measures cover reducing incidental capture of sharks and marine turtles, supply and tender vessel monitoring, transshipment observers, and capacity management. The new measures go into effect on January 1, 2018.

Two new measures are the first to affect longline vessels specifically. The  ISSF Status of the Stocks report shows that  longline fishing accounted for 12% of the tuna catch globally in 2015; longline fishers caught nearly 143,000 tons of albacore tuna, for example.

All ISSF conservation measures directly impact how nearly  30 global seafood companies that are ISSF participating companies do business with vessels on the water, at the processing plant, and in the marketplace.

The  International Pole & Line Foundation (IPNLF) and its Member network are urging the  Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) to further enhance the management of stocks and reduce bycatch in Indian Ocean's tuna fisheries.

The request comes ahead of this year's annual session held by the entity, which convenes in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, on May 22-23. At this pivotal forum, fisheries managers from 31 member countries must act to conserve the region's multi-billion dollar tuna fisheries and protect the coastal communities reliant upon them.

The year 2016 was regarded as a breakthrough year for the IOTC with the adoption of the world's first harvest control rule for skipjack tuna and the adoption of important measures designed to rebuild yellowfin stocks. It is up to the IOTC to maintain the momentum and take on other pressing issues that threaten the sustainability of Indian Ocean tuna fisheries.