Papua New Guinea is calling for a fundamental shift in the global tuna industry’s economic relationship with Pacific nations from

extraction to equitable partnership—as the 19th INFOFISH World Tuna Trade Conference and Exhibition (Tuna 2026) gets underway in Bangkok.

Speaking at the conference, Honorable Jelta Wong, Minister for Fisheries and Marine Resources said the Pacific region is ready to transition from

being suppliers of raw materials to active participants across the full tuna value chain.

“You call them 'Small Island Nations.' We prefer 'Large Ocean States,'” Minister Wong stated. “We are custodians of nearly one third of the Earth’s surface."

"The Pacific contributes over 50 percent of the world’s tuna supply, and scientific assessments confirm that key tuna stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO)remain biologically healthy.”

From Custodianship to Economic Participation, Minister Wong emphasized that the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent positions the region to move beyond harvesting and into processing, logistics, marketing, innovation, and trade.

He noted that currently, only 15 percent of tuna caught in Pacific waters is processed within the region.

To address this, PNG has launched the East New Britain initiative (ENBi) to create a network of regional tuna hubs, and Fisheries Capital Limited (FCL) to drive onshore investment in downstream processing, infrastructure, and employment.

The Minister also highlighted PNG’s partnership with the Iceland Innovation Cluster to achieve 100 percent utilization of fish resources, and the

deployment of satellite and AI technologies to combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Addressing development partners, Minister Wong said capacity building must be centred on infrastructure, technology, and market access that allows Pacific nations to meet international standards.

“For decades, developed industrial economies have captured much of the value generated from our ocean resources. The Pacific has borne the custodial responsibility, while others have accrued the economic dividends."

"We now seek a recalibration, a new paradigm of shared prosperity. The Pacific collectively asserts its right to participate equitably in the value we steward."

Mninister Wong added that it is not a request for concession, however it is a call for partnership, for fairness, and for the rightful distribution of benefits derived from the resources of our Blue Pacific Continent.

Minister Wong concluded by inviting all industry and government stakeholders to the 10th Pacific Tuna Forum to be held in Port Moresby in October 2027.

“Let us be the generation that not only sustains our tuna stocks but ensures the prosperity they generate is shared among those who own, protect, and depend on them. The Pacific is ready.”