New Guinea to open soon

[clarionreef]

Hello people,
I am working with a consulting group called Eco EZ. EcoEZ consults for the National Fisheries Authority of Papua New Guinea. [ ie the government itself]
This place has the greatest biomass of healthy coral reef in the world and the greatest species diversity. It has blue tangs living straight out in front of its largest city and busiest harbor.

IT IS FULL OF PERCULA CLOWNS, WHITE BONNET CLOWNS, MAJESTIC , IMPERATOR AND SCRIBBLED ANGELS, FLAME ANGELS, YELLOW ASSESSOR GOBIES, NEW DAMSELS, BILLIONS OF OLD DAMSELS, GOBIES AND BLENNIES THAT TAKE ALL NIGHT TO KEY OUT AND NEW SPECIES BEING REGARDED AS WE SPEAK.

We have been here for 8 months now surveying the reefs and have already finished the initial report to the National Fisheries Authority of the government of Papua New Guinea.
As a result, we were just funded for the training mission and all systems are go!

Whatever you may have heard about reform projects and net training before....bear in mind that this time professional, career fish people are in charge of the project design, the training and initial industry development.
We are not what has gone before.
We are something else entirely.
The open door policy, the transparency, the deep experience, the leadership, the seasoned training team and the bottom up, field oriented methodology is refreshing and exciting to be a part of.

New Guinea will be what the Philippines and Indonesia can not be anytime soon...100% NETCAUGHT...and patterned after the Australian model...

There are no cyanide fishes to be confused and mixed in with.
This is the beginning.
The Philippines had a beginning in 1960....
Indonesia in 1978...
Now its our turn...PNG...2008! The run up towards production may last a few more months but shoud happen by spring.
If you have any questions...fire away.
Sincerely, Steve Robinson
Eco EZ Inc program
National Fishery Authority
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

 

[Anonymous]

Steve, this is fantastic news. Best of luck and keep us posted!

Feel free to take a lot of pictures underwater.

Peace,

Chip

 

[Anonymous]

Who will be shipping to the US using what routes?

 

[naesco]

What about the removal of wild species where aquacultured are already available.
What about the removal USL, those that should not be collected because they have no reasonable opportunity of success if hobbyist tanks like cleaner wrasse and large angels, dendo etc.

I take it any large colonies are going to be fragged there and then shipped.

Do the best job you can from the very beginng.

Thanks Wayne

 

[clarionreef]

We have several thousand photos in the photo-bank accumalating from the surveys.
Shipping routes are thru Sydney,Tokyo, Honk Kong and Brisbane.
and Wayne....
We have already self banned an entire roster and poster of fishes and invertebrates....due to the non viability of such species in the tanks of most of the trade. Specimens may be available for research however if really needed for say breeding.
The USL however is a limited conservation measure that involves a small portion of the list [ mostly undesireable and unwanted anyway] and represents little compared to the overall drive toward sustainability of the much desired species.
However, the self prohibition on taking the anemones of the leukokranos , the sandracinos, the polymnus, the clarki , the akindynos and the true perculas is something beyond the value of the traditional USL and will insure the perpetuity of these clownfish nearby. The villages have to protect the resources they have in their management zones and taking the anemones would eliminate clownfishes early on in the game.
[ Of course there will be no anemome collecting to supply tank raised Nemos either as this would ruin wild stocks.]

A big indicator of success for me is wether or not the blue tang colonies off the main collection island make it thru the years of commercial activity with their coral structures intact. We ran transects thru them and photographed them yesterday to know how they should be later.

Another indicator of success will be the extent to which not an instance of cyanide or crowbar use enters the picture. Prior to the allowance of collector permits is the permit revokation process for the practice and the link-up to the exporter himself for the collectors infraction.

The TAC or total allowable catch quotas will futher self limit the degree of extraction and as and if quotas are reached, the species in the community management area stay will stay in PNG.
The survey teams have been here quietly doing their jobs with this foremost in mind and now the village trainings are soon to begin.

The government fishery authority here is keen on the emergence of a PNG brand name that is synonomus with sustainability, quality and credibility.
They are sponsoring their own trades development instead of farming it out to non aquarium savy outsiders.
They have a right to expect results and productivity on a realistic timeline and as a matter of routine.
So...
let me re-cap;
" 1. The cart is now after the horse...
2. The emperor has clothes and
3. This dog does hunt."

Sincerely, Steve

 

[naesco]

God, I am so proud of you and the work that you are doing.
Best of sucess to you and the fishers.

Wayne Ryan

 

[dizzy]

Atta boy Steve. Keep up the good work.

 

[Anonymous]

Is the government or private interests going to be handling the holding facilities and export?

 

[clarionreef]

Private interests whoever they come to be.
Several seem to be stepping up.... tentatively.
They want more progress from us before investing and we need it from them to give the fishers a place to sell to.
I guess in the very beginning its always like that.
At least in Indo and the Philippines there were dozens of ready buyers.
Here, the first buyers have all the risk of un-untrodden path.
steve

 

[Anonymous]

Cool. Thanks Steve. I also saw the MR donation got sent off - good stuff.

 

[naesco]

Private interests whoever they come to be.
Several seem to be stepping up.... tentatively.
They want more progress from us before investing and we need it from them to give the fishers a place to sell to.
I guess in the very beginning its always like that.
At least in Indo and the Philippines there were dozens of ready buyers.
Here, the first buyers have all the risk of un-untrodden path.
steve

When things are up and running let me know.
I will get the word out in the Great White North.
Wayne

 

[Jaime Baquero]

Hello people,
I am working with a consulting group called Eco EZ. EcoEZ consults for the National Fisheries Authority of Papua New Guinea. [ ie the government itself]
This place has the greatest biomass of healthy coral reef in the world and the greatest species diversity. It has blue tangs living straight out in front of its largest city and busiest harbor.

IT IS FULL OF PERCULA CLOWNS, WHITE BONNET CLOWNS, MAJESTIC , IMPERATOR AND SCRIBBLED ANGELS, FLAME ANGELS, YELLOW ASSESSOR GOBIES, NEW DAMSELS, BILLIONS OF OLD DAMSELS, GOBIES AND BLENNIES THAT TAKE ALL NIGHT TO KEY OUT AND NEW SPECIES BEING REGARDED AS WE SPEAK.

We have been here for 8 months now surveying the reefs and have already finished the initial report to the National Fisheries Authority of the government of Papua New Guinea.
As a result, we were just funded for the training mission and all systems are go!

Whatever you may have heard about reform projects and net training before....bear in mind that this time professional, career fish people are in charge of the project design, the training and initial industry development.
We are not what has gone before.
We are something else entirely.
The open door policy, the transparency, the deep experience, the leadership, the seasoned training team and the bottom up, field oriented methodology is refreshing and exciting to be a part of.

New Guinea will be what the Philippines and Indonesia can not be anytime soon...100% NETCAUGHT...and patterned after the Australian model...

There are no cyanide fishes to be confused and mixed in with.
This is the beginning.
The Philippines had a beginning in 1960....
Indonesia in 1978...
Now its our turn...PNG...2008! The run up towards production may last a few more months but shoud happen by spring.
If you have any questions...fire away.
Sincerely, Steve Robinson
Eco EZ Inc program
National Fishery Authority
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Steve,

The fact that the National Fisheries Authority of Papua New Guinea is ON BOARD is what makes the BIG difference. No doubt that you have all you need to have a successful project. All the best and congratulations. Do you have contacts in Canada to import Eco EZ's fish?

Jaime

 

[clarionreef]

the National Fisheries Authority of Papua New Guinea is ON BOARD is what makes the BIG difference.

Their director just came back from a big tuna conference and lambasted the over-developed countries of the world for dragging their feet in tuna conservation . Noting that wiping out the tuna hurts small nations more he appealed for restraint and measures to preserve thruout their migration routes.
If this same director applies the same fervor to keeping this trade clean in PNG, we will have no problem.
Business people should never be given the choice to ruin or not ruin coral reefs in the aquisition of fishes that can be caught without their drugs.

I hope that we will have an aggressive, clean fish policy that turns the reform debate on its head and demands a scientific and legal approach that takes no prisoners and shows no tolerance for breaking and poisoning coral in the promulgation of this industry.

These early notions can become law, habit, routine and normal.
They can perhaps shame the fisheries of The Philippines and Indonesia to follow suit or lose market share.

Critical, basic species are here and winning them away from non reformed other countries will be nice to see and a wonderful exercise in free enterprise and competition.
Steve

 

[IconicAquariums]

Steve,

re: coral farming

will the government run this and sell to exporters, like Tonga, or will exporters have their own means of culturing - whether it be raceways or trays?

 

[clarionreef]

This policy is still in FLUX.
Coral farming will be accepted as a matter of fact but the Australian example of sustainable managed wild harvest as in fish may also provide an option to consider....especially for the non fraggable species.
The knee jerk answer is to xerox copy everyone else but I hope to do it better and different.
Soft corals and polyps are too abundant here and spread across acres of area.
Clams...are well represented here as well.
But, the priority is still fish first.
Steve

 

[swsaltwater]

wow great news! I wonder if they can get Cataphyllia without ECS. How are the Elegence populations down there and has anyone surveyed them for signs of ECS?

Still Aussie Elegence are the only ones I get that are healthy.

 

[Anonymous]

Any idea when fish will begin shipping?

 

[clarionreef]

My guess is about two months .
This blue tang was but one of the crowd taken in front of the village nearest Port Moresby. I caught it by gloved hand. No net, no poker.
As I let it go, the fisherman running the boat said ...he'll be back.
steve

 

[Race]

Hi Steve,
Congratulations on your efforts here. I think all of us in the industry recognize that you put hard work into this accomplishment.

Best of luck, Race Foster

 

[PeterIMA]

Steve, Congratulations with the Eco-EZ program. Finally, there will be a supplier of net-caught fish from Papua New Guinea. Please let readers of RDO know who will be importing the fish and where they can buy them, when that happens.

Peter Rubec