A total of sixteen reporters and two officers from the East New Britain (ENB) Provincial Administration, we’re the proud recipients of certificates after completing a three-day workshop in preparation for the upcoming 8th Pacific Tuna Forum to be held in Port Moresby this month. Reporters were taught about the functions of the National Fisheries Authority (NFA) and the Tuna Industry in the country, the region and globally. They received training and insights to the Blue Pacific Continent and Tuna Sustainability, Tuna Vessels, Tuna markets, the Climate Change and its effects on Tuna, the Fukushima Toxic waste and its effects on Tuna, the Regional and global implication of Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in the Pacific and more, including the role NFA plays in the Tuna Industry and other fisheries industries. Speaking at the presentation ceremony NFA Chairman Mr. Lauri Williams thanked the facilitators for imparting their knowledge about the background on what the fisheries sector does, not only in the country, but around the globe. “We are a government entity, but we are not just a government entity like all the others, we are a commuting authority.” “The work that NFA does relates to other government bodies around the world, the secretariat office around the region, therefore it is important to do what we are doing” “We brought NFA from when it was just a department of Fisheries, Agriculture and Livestock and transformed it into a competing Authority.” “Thus, Media plays a very important role in telling the story of the fisheries sector moving forward,” said Mr. Williams. Williams highlighted that Media not only plays an important role in the fisheries sector but also in the Tuna sector. He highlighted that Tuna is a common denominator that binds the Pacific together. Williams added that no one owns Tuna; it moves around, Tuna is the fish that never sleeps. Tuna Travels and there is a lot of technical background to how to understand how the Tuna industry works. “It’s how we manage it, how we work with our brothers in the Pacific and our key stakeholders that control the market, the EU market and the Americans, we all need to work together and participate more in the industry,” he said. Mr. Williams encouraged all the reporters to do more research, more investigation into the sector and the industry itself so that accurate stories can be told to the people. “It is a lucrative industry but a sustainable industry also, if we manage it well now, our future generations will still enjoy the benefits of the Tuna industry.” The workshop was hosted by the NFA in Kokopo and was held at the Kokopo Beach Bungalow from Wednesday 30th August to Friday the 1st of September. Of the sixteen reporters that participated, twelve were from Port Moresby and four from Kokopo.