WCS is working with supportfrom the David & Lucille Packard Foundation on a program to enable localcommunities to manage small-scale fisheries in Papua New Guinea, with thisproject initially being undertaken in New Ireland Province. On the 13 and 14February 2014 WCS hosted a fisheries stakeholders meeting in Kavieng, NewIreland, to hold an initial project workshop for region-wide priority setting.
Representatives from the National Fisheries College, Provincial FisheriesAuthority, Provincial Government, local conservation organizations and local menand women involved in fishing, processing and marketing were in attended theworkshop and all contributed to the prioritization work. The two day workshopconsulted local stakeholders on the most important marine resources, producinga final list of five key species groups (shellfish, mud crabs, lobsters, rabbitfish and trevally).
Following the identification of this short list the meetingsynthesized what was known on the fishing methods, the communities involved infishing, processing and marketing the catch, the main purpose of the catch foreach species (i.e. for sale or subsistence), changes in abundance over recentyears, and key threats. Following this exercise the stakeholders presentsummarized the existing management procedures for each of the five speciesgroups and then discussed and prioritized potential management options thatcould potentially assist in ensuring the sustainable harvest of these species.Key research questions for the management of each species group were alsoidentified.
The meeting report will shortly be made available on this site.Following on from this meeting WCS will identify at least two of these speciesgroups for further research and management, and over the course of this projectwill aim to implement local (community and ward) and potentially provincialscale management options for these species.