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SCTB15 Working Paper

FTWG–12

Status of Fish Aggregating Devices in

Ludwig Kumoru1

1 Fisheries Authority, Moresby,

FISHING TECHNOLOGY WORKING WORKING GROUP

STANDING COMMITTEE ON TUNA AND BILLFISH NO. 15

HONOLULU, JULY 2002

STATUS OF FISH AGGREGATING DEVICES IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA

BY LUDWIG KUMORU National Fisheries Authority Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

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STATUS OF FISH AGGREGATING DEVICES IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Background Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) in Papua New Guinea (PNG) tuna fishery was introduced by the Philippines fishermen in the . It was only in the late that PNG started to look at Fads basically due to the expanding domestic purse-seine fleet whose fishing is based on FADs. Information on FADs has since being collected and entered in the local data base. A FAD Management Policy is in place to issues on which includes, the limit on the number of Fads allowed in PNG waters, areas where FADs are allowed, which category of fishers are allowed and who is responsible for solving conflicts arising from FAD associated issues.

Number of FADs There are currently 800 FADs in use, but there could be twice as many. The total number of Fads set in the last five years including the lost FADs is about 4,000. As a control on the number of Fads, the maximum number deployable has been reduced from a possible 3,000 FADs to only 1,000 in the FAD Management Policy.

A total of 141 purse –seiners, have access to fish in PNG waters. Twenty- six (26) of these, fish mainly on Anchored Fads. These vessels are mainly Philippines by origin and are either under Access Arrangements or locally based foreign. The locally based foreign and a small number of PNG registered vessels operate as domestic vessels.

Table 1. Total purse seine with access to PNG waters. Agreement type Vessel nationality Number of vessels Primary type of operation Access Korea 26 Free schools 41 Free schools Philippines 12 FADS Chinese 1 Free schools FSM 6 Free schools 4 Free schools Solomon 1 Free schools Marshalls 5 Free schools 1 Free schools Domestic Papua New Guinea 14 FADS Multilateral (US) 30 Free schools Total 141 purse -seiners

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Table 2 gives the number of FADs by companies. It also gives the number of vessels operated by each . The figures given (number of FADs) does not include FADs deployed before 1999.

Table2: Number of Fads by company Company Number of catcher vessels Total number of Fads RD 10 450 Frabelle PNG 3 54 Frabelle Philippines 7 92 Pacific Blue sea 3 130 Safi 2 52 Trans-Pacific Journey 1 50 Total 26 828

FAD Designs Designs of Fads have changed from a rectangular box and cylindrical shape with extensions to a torpedo shape with no extensions in most cases. Both designs are characterized by having the appendages with are of palm leaves and anchored to the sea floor by four to six, 200 litres drums of concrete It is very likely that FAD designs will soon change to ones that are battery operated and drifting. One company fishing in PNG has designed a FAD that would have a battery inside the rafter or floater section of the FAD. The FAD would have light hanging from a chain. The light would be operated by the battery and the FAD would be set adrift with a radio buoy for re-location. The idea is that the light would aggregate the Fish. There is currently no information to show whether this FAD is in use or not.

Areas of FAD Location Figure 1 shows in general where the Fads are. The Fad management policy does not allow Fads to be deployed in the Morgador square, the whole of the Solomon and Coral Seas. It further mentions that FADs can only be deployed in the areas currently used and not in other new areas. The Fad management policy is however pending the National Fisheries Authority Board decision and can only be implemented after approval by the Board and subsequent gazettal in the National gazette.

3 Fad associated gear conflict Even though only 800 FADs are said to be in use, the reality is that there are many which had the float sections broken off, but the rope and the other components are still in the sea. This is a real problem to longline vessels whose gear tangle with the Fad , be it with the floater or without. In some cases there have been rumours that the longline operators were losing their gear. There is no concrete information on this although longlines were seen tangled on Fad anchor lines.

Conclusion The PNG stand on Fads is that it be a controlled activity. To do this, a FAD Management Policy is now in place.

Figure 1: FAD SITES IN PNG WATERS

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