CASE STUDY

Building Systems for Cutting-edge Protection

Sometimes progress is best measured in decades, not years. Since 2012, the Fishing Industry Association of Papua New Guinea has made consistent, structural improvements in crew welfare and fleet transparency year over year. 

In 2014, processing facilities received certifications for social accountability, including “worker‑welfare checks” that track human rights protections alongside environmental and traceability standards. In 2018, they launched a Responsible Sourcing Policy​, regularly audited, to ensure ethical labour practices and traceable supply chains. Since 2022, they’ve shared real-time monitoring data with the public through Global Fishing Watch. 

24/7 real-time monitoring systems allow governments and third parties alike to track fishing activity. By embracing modern technology and encouraging widespread adoption and documentation, Papua New Guinea’s tuna fleet has become one of the most transparent in the world, showcasing a successful process for the development systematic protections that make exploitation materially harder to sustain and easier to detect.

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