Photo credit: Richard Herrmann / BluePlanetArchive
A group from the National Fisheries Authority is in General Santos, Philippines, led by board chairman Ango Wangatau, to exchange and gain fisheries expertise and experiences in this region.
General Santos is renowned as the Philippines' "Tuna" city capital, and visiting this region provides delegates with first-hand information and improved ideas for implementing the Fisheries Strategic Plan 2021-2030 and achieving its objectives.
It has the Philippines' most modern fish port and contributes significantly to the country's earnings.
The remarkable expansion of fisheries in General Santos was driven by collaboration between the government and important stakeholders, which the NFA delegates witnessed and will think about further when they return home.
“Seeing is believing and we needed to come and see the sizeable scale and strength of this Fisheries industry in the Philippines.
“From here we want to incorporate the existing knowledge and experience of our Philippine counterparts to model and expand our own infrastructure in PNG,” Mr. Wangatau said.
According to him, the goal of the Fisheries Strategic Plan is to change Papua New Guinea into the Pacific's "Tuna Capital," thus visits like these are important to gather additional expertise from a country that has already been transformed.
The delegates saw tuna landings, grading, weighing, and processing, as well as the fishing boat docking yard and the world's largest prawns and fish farm.
These first-hand experiences will help PNG Fisheries prepare for the establishment of a downstream processing facility for all tuna collected in the country, as well as greater employment development for the people.
“We are here and have seen what is done with fisheries in General Santos. If it can be done here, we can also do it in PNG,” he said.
Reference: Post-Courier (16 June 2022). “National Fisheries Team Visits Philippines Tuna Capital For Exposure”.
