PNG is one of the best fishing grounds in the world

By MOHAMMAD BASHIR

PAPUA New Guinea is the best fishing ground for tuna in the world and investors are flocking in.
Existing licences issued by the National Fisheries Authority (NFA) indicate that Taiwan holds the highest number of fishing licences followed by the United States, Japan, China and others.
PNG leading tuna processors, RD Tuna Canners Ltd Managing Director Pete Celso attested to this last week during a briefing for a Japanese delegation who were in the country with a view to investing in the Pacific Marine Industrial Zone (PMIZ) project at Bidar outside Madang.
Mr Celso said PNG's tuna accounts for 12 per cent of the world's tuna production per annum which equates to about 600,000 metrics tons and the world of tuna industry puts PNG right up there in the best in the world category.
With the PNG tuna granted duty free exports to the European Union market under the EPA arrangements, top level investors are eyeing the PMIZ.
Only last week, one of Japan's leading Fishing company Ikegami Hiroshi International led by prince Katao Nashimoto visited Bidar and were taken for a boat cruise and aerial tour by Madang's very own tourism guru Sir Peter Barter.
Mr Celso also took the delegation on a guided tour of RD Tuna Canner's storage warehouse at Bidar and a tour of its factory.
The prince and his delegations also sampled some of the finest sashimi (raw tuna meat) prepared by RD Canners, courtesy of Mr Celso.
RD Tuna Canners also exports fresh skipjack tuna to Japan where sashimi is popular in restaurants and homes.
Prince Katao, who loves his sashimi like all other Japanese, was here to sign a deal with the government to invest up to $US500 million in the PMIZ but had to leave disappointed when the government changed and former minister for Trade and Industry Gabriel Kapris could not make it.