The Papua New Guinea National Fisheries Authority has expressed its concerns over seabed mining in the country.
Managing Director of NFA Sylvester Pokajam said government should not allow seabed mining to proceed because there are no legislations in place. Instead, more awareness should be carried out to educate the people on the impacts of the project.
The controversial seabed mining Solwara One project by Nautilus Minerals has been given the green light by the government. That decision has generated a lot of debate from concerned Papua New Guineans and civil society organizations.
Many of the concerns are based on the fact that Papua New Guinea will be the first country in the world to experiment with this project without any proper laws governing its operation.
The potential impacts on marine life are said to be minimal but that has not stopped the National Fisheries Authority from querying the project.
Pokajam hinted possible risks to the growing fisheries sector with the onset of the project, and wants proper feasibility and environmental assessment carried out to ascertain benefits of the project.
Islands Business International