We take a look at some of the key players in Papua New Guinea’s fisheries sector.

R D Tuna PNG

R D Tuna PNG is Papua New Guinea’s largest tuna canner. The Philippines-owned company is based in Madang. R D Tuna operates 17 fishing vessels in PNG waters and sells its products under the Diana, Dolly and Dolores brands.

With Fairwell Fishery Group of Taiwan and Tri Marine International of the United States, R D Tuna has formed a joint venture under the name Niugini Tuna Limited, and has signed an agreement with the PNG government to operate in the Pacific Marine Industrial Zone.

R D Tuna is currently being considered for accreditation under the Marine Stewardship Council’s sustainability and traceability policies.

International Food Corporation (IFC)

Malaysian-owned International Food Corporation (IFC), based in Lae, produces Besta canned mackerel and is moving into the tuna canning market. About 95% of the tuna will be exported to Europe, with the remainder sold locally. The plant is expected to generate 2000 jobs over the next several years. IFC produces more than 6000 cans of mackerel per day, and makes its own cans, dresses and cleans its own fish, and cans and pressure-cooks its products. Unused fish is turned into fishmeal.

Frabelle Fishing Co

Filipino-owned tuna firm Frabelle Fishing Co opened its own tuna loining and canning plant in Lae in 2006, and also owns and leases purse seiner vessels. It handles all stages of the canning process, including can making, printing and canning. Eighty percent of its product is exported to the European Union, with the remainder sold locally under the Isabella brandname. Frabelle’s cannery is fully EU-compliant. The company has requested eco-accreditation by the Friends of the Sea and has complied with the Earth Island Institute’s dolphin safe standards. With the Thai Union of Thailand and Century Canning of the Philippines, Frabelle is setting up a 350-tonnes-a-day venture, the Majestic Seafoods cannery in Lae.

South Pacific Seafood

South Pacific Seafood is a 75% PNG-owned/25% Philippines-owned company with plans to invest in fishing port facilities in Central, West New Britain, Morobe, Milne Bay and Manus provinces.

Ailan Seafoods Ltd

Ailan Seafoods Ltd in Kavieng, New Ireland, buys reef fish, snapper, mackerel, crayfish, lobsters, beche-de-mer, and trochus shells and exports them in chilled form. It also farms milk fish, grouper and other saltwater fish in sea cages, and fillets fish for export.

First published in Made in PNG 2012