FIA PNG Participating Company Compliance: Internal Audit Report
For an Audit Taking Place in 2025 relating to Marine litter and Fishing gear requirements & procedure v4.0 and Audit checklist V5.0
1. Introduction
As part of our commitment to monitor and assess the impact of our fishing operation in the Ocean, the Fishing Industry Association (FIA) PNG participating companies (PC) agree to carry out audits annually on their conformance with the Responsible Sourcing Policy (RSP) pillars measures.
In November 2024, the FIA PNG office just signed off two (2) internal auditors, who underwent a long process that included more than 80 hours of on-site audit as observers, carried out & led audits, writing NCs and reports as well as complying with several standard training. Alice Posanau and Stephanie Pokajam complied with FIA PNG internal auditors’ requirements that are aligned with global requirements. In this way, FIA PNG ensures that we will apply similar rigorous standards as any certification body auditor. Our COO and Senior Auditor Marcelo Hidalgo was responsible for the entire auditor sign-off process.
Having these two qualified auditors, the FIA PNG office is capable of tracking and monitoring closely our tuna fleet. FIA PNG auditor team is providing training, implementation, reviewing audit protocols, and coordinating audits on-site.
The team has also reviewed and revised our management system, training content, and awareness.
Participating companies were audited based on the FIA PNG Marine Litter and Fishing gear policy and procedure v4.0 and the Shark Survival Assessment V2.0 have been included in the updated ML&FG audit checklist with immediate application during the audit period.
To support tuna stock and tuna ecosystem sustainability, FIA PNG Participating Companies have committed to meet RSP measures designed to improve the long-term health of tuna fisheries that include sustainability, Marine litter & Fishing gear, Traceability, Social Responsibility, and human rights at Sea.
This document describes the protocol for the auditing of fishing companies’ compliance with those RSP measures in effect for 2025.
Per the FIA PNG MoA in place, Participating Member Companies are obliged to respond fully, accurately, and promptly to all reasonable requests made during the audits. Participating Member Companies shall provide appropriate supporting documents, verifiable evidence, data, photos, or other support. Appropriate confidentiality obligations will be established and observed by FIA PNG Office staff. The FIA PNG Sustainability & MSC team will provide a Final Audit Summary report and data analysis to the FIA PNG Chairman and hold a one-by-one meeting with participating companies to evaluate results and documentation support.
2. Participating Companies Compliance
PCs commit to undergoing internal audits against all the in-effect RSP pillars’ measures. The pillars are:
Marine litter and Fishing gear mitigation
Social Responsibility and Human Rights at Sea
Traceability
Sustainability of tuna stocks – MSC certification
Each pillar is supported by a procedure and audit tool, in the case of the MSC certification, we will undergo a third-party surveillance audit each year. The procedure contains the lists of the conservation measures in effect for 2025 through the year to be audited under this protocol, guides the required action and/or information, and describes the means of verification that will be used to assess conformance.
The FIA PNG member internal audits will generally follow the principles of ISO 19011:2018. The FIA PNG member internal auditor ensures audits are more compliant and consistent with the in-effect RSP conservation measures.
In advance of the annual audit, company details including contact information for the designated contact person will be confirmed with each company. The annual audit will describe the following information.
Scope:
RSP Pillar/ Standard/ Policy/ Requirement:
Auditor team:
Date:
Place:
3. Summary of FIA PNG Internal Audit Outcomes – Marine litter and Fishing Gear
The Marine Litter and Fishing Gear audit checklist contains 10 principles and 61 questions to assess the KPI per fishing company. This is a summary per principle. The previous audit checklist version v4.0 contained only 7 principles.
3.1 New principles added in the audit checklist v5.0
VESSEL DATA VERIFICATION, aims to verify our fleet legal registration in NGOs, RFMOs, and IUU lists.
ETP Handling occurrence onboard included a total of six (6) questions to assess the implementation of WCPFC CMM, ISSF CMM, and FIA PNG strategic plan to mitigate ETP.
3.2 Accountability and reporting of Marine litter and Fishing gear
Participating Member Companies received annual guidance and workshops from FIA PNG about auditing, monitoring, reporting, and recording Marine litter and Fishing gear at Sea (onboard) and Land (the Port facilities).
4 Audit Determination and Reporting
The auditing described in this document serves as an assessment of conformance by FIA PNG PCs. Any significant gaps in conformance and where corrective actions may be necessary will be specified by each FIA PNG PC. Timelines for remedial action will follow the FIA PNG RSP Policy v7.0. Depending on the nature of the non-conformance and the required corrective action, a follow-up audit may be required.
4.1 Non-conformances
Conformance is categorized into grades (Conformance, Observation, Minor Non-Conformance, or Major Non-Conformance). Non-conformances must be raised against specific FIA PNG RSP pillars/conservation measures. The severity of the non-conformance will determine which non-conformances are raised. The full definition of non-conformance, degree, consequences, and timelines can be found in the FIA PNG RSP policy v7.0.
4.2 Audit Reports
The I.A. reports were sent directly to the FIA PNG office by the FIA PNG PC contact person via email. The FIA PNG office carried out data analysis and assessed the non-conformance as well as timelines for carrying out a follow-up audit to check the conformance of the FIA PNG pillars conservation measures. Meetings with each PC to evaluate the final results and the need for any clarification and/or more evidence were carried out. A Final Audit Report that summarizes the FIA PNG PC performance will be generated by the Sustainability Director for peer review and publication on the FIA PNG website.
FIA PNG fishing companies members have in place a corrective action plan and a preventive measures plan for each finding or non-conformity.
5. FIA PNG Marine Litter & Fishing Gear Implementation in Vida Port, Madang
During the week beginning 24th February 2025, the FIA PNG audit team was in Madang to carry out their normal second-party audit program for FISH and Marine Litter and Fishing Gear(ML&FG) audits as part of their due diligence of FIA PNG’s RSP policy and to maintain two of its voluntary certification schemes (FISH & MSC Tuna fishery certificate).
The team carried out an awareness training on the first day (Monday, February 24) for both certification schemes and explained the significance of each implementation to its members, Bluecatch Corporation and RD Fishing (PNG) Ltd.
Nialangis (Alice) Posanau (PNG FIA) facilitated the training on the FIA PNG ML&FG as part of the webinar series for awareness of our member fleets. Participants present included persons from both Bluecatch Corporation and RD Group, including their Operational management personnel as well.
The presentation’s topics outlined during the training included the FIA PNG ML&FG procedure and implementations, plastics responsible management, ETP best handling practices according to WCPFC guidelines and lastly, the standard operating procedure on how to carry out an ML&FG audit was also explained as both of the fishing companies needed some technical support in this area.
The main intent of the awareness was to inform members of the importance of carrying out such audits to support and maintain the MSC tuna fishery certificate in terms of providing pieces of evidence and information to fishery assessors to support the claim that our fish was supplied/harvested from a sustainable fishery and being assessed under the new version of the MSC fishery Standard and its requirements.
Most participants were satisfied with the delivery of the training materials and generally understood the awareness training.
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