Pacific Tuna Forum, Port Moresby, 2-3 September

The Executive Director represented the Commission Secretariat at the Second Pacific Tuna Forum held at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea 2-3 September. The meeting was organized by the PNG National Fisheries Authority and INFOFISH. Approximately 180 participants representing industry, governments, inter-governmental organizations and NGOs from 36 countries participated in the Forum which was opened by the PNG Minister for Fisheries, Mr Ben Semri. The agenda, which covered a broad range of issues, was dominated by discussions on sustainability concerns. Focus sessions covered tuna market demands and trends, market access issues with a focus on the EU market, certification, the status of stocks and resource management issues, reviews of fishery development in Pacific Island countries, current developments and plans for the future and developments within distant water fishing fleets.