FISHERIES ADVANCES GOVERNMENT COMMERCIALIZATION DRIVE WITH FCL MD APPOINTMENT

CAPTION: TOP: FCL Interim Board Chairman and NFA Managing Director Justin Ilakini, NFA Board Chairman Laurie William, and inaugural FCL Managing Director John Dotson, together with NFA and FCL staff, at the inaugural FCL Board meeting held in Lae on 24 August 2026.

BOTTOM: Fisheries Capital Limited (FCL) meeting with Lae-based tuna processors: International Food Corporation, Majestic Seafood Corporation Ltd, Frabelle (PNG) Limited, and Nambawan Seafoods PNG Limited.

THE Marape-Rosso Government’s fisheries structural reform to allow Government to monetize national assets such as fisheries has reached a significant milestone with the appointment of Mr. John Chris Dotson as the inaugural Managing Director of Fisheries Capital Limited (FCL), the commercial entity charged with the responsibility to implement the commercialization agenda of government.

The appointment marks the transition of FCL from establishment as directed by an NEC Decision in 2020 to actual operationalisation as it prepares to proceed with  efforts to bolster the State’s interest in maximising direct revenue by  addressing inefficiencies in the industry improve strategic development  infrastructures, and promote new business and investment opportunities that will be underpinned by recently launched policies to domesticate the lucrative tuna industry and to commercialize the aquaculture and inland fisheries.

The appointment was endorsed at the inaugural FCL Board Meeting on 24 August 2026 and formally announced by FCL Interim Board Chairman and National Fisheries Authority (NFA) Managing Director, Mr. Justin Ilakini. The employment contract was executed in the presence of NFA Board Chairman, Mr. Laurie William.

Mr. Ilakini said the appointment represents a major step in the Government’s reform agenda, which began in 2019 with a vision to transform fisheries from a predominantly resource-management sector into a commercially driven industry aimed at contributing 20 percent or more towards a K200 billion economy by 2030 and beyond as envisioned by the Marape-Rosso government.

“PNG possesses one of the world’s most valuable tuna resources. The challenge has been to establish the institutions and investment mechanisms necessary to capture greater value through domestic processing, infrastructure, local participation, and strategic investment,” Mr. Ilakini said.

The revised Fisheries Sector Strategic Plan 2035 , supported by important policy instruments now provides a very clear strategic direction to not only better regulate the fishery but also drive the commercialization agenda of government where the focus will be to  increase domestic value retention, promoting strategic investment, expanding downstream processing, developing enabling infrastructure, strengthening local participation and creating new commercial opportunities across the fisheries value chain.

“FCL was not established simply as another State-owned enterprise, but as a strategic national platform to mobilise investment and accelerate commercially viable fisheries development,” said Mr. Ilakini. “FCL is currently operating under a transitional corporate arrangement.”

In accepting his appointment, Mr. Dotson said he was honoured to lead FCL during this important phase.

“Establishing a greenfield organisation presents significant challenges, but it also provides a unique opportunity to create a platform that unlocks greater economic value from Papua New Guinea’s fisheries resources for current and future generations,” Mr. Dotson said.

He said his immediate focus would be on establishing robust governance systems, building strategic partnerships, and developing investment initiatives aligned with the Fisheries Sector Strategic Plan, the Tuna Domestication Strategy, and the Aquaculture Development Strategy.

The fisheries structural reform agenda aimed at implementing the Marape-Rosso’s government directive to maximise direct revenue for the State as opposed to just collecting resource rents, now awaits the Fisheries Capital Limited Authorization Bill to be passed in Parliament.