Personal Data

Name:                         Maurice James Brownjohn, OBE.

Date of Birth:              04/09/59

Nationality:                 Papua New Guinean [Naturalized in 1989]

Qualifications             Education: B.Sc. [Honours] – Fishery Science, University of Plymouth UK; graduated 1981.

Specialist project – “The effects of colour on gill nets in a coastal fishery”

Training                     Foodstream Ltd/Golburn TAFE, Gold Coast, Australia October 2015, “Retort Supervisors Certificate”

Languages                  English [mother tongue], Melanesian Tok Pisin [fluent]

Awards – personal

Order of the British Empire [OBE] – HM the Queen’s New Year Honours List 31/12/98 for “Service to the Fishing Industry in Papua New Guinea”

Papua New Guinea (PNG) 25th Anniversary Medal (2000)

“Life Member” Fishing Industry Association[PNG] Inc. (2009)

Ambassador / Advisor to Prince Charles’s Trust, – International Sustainability Unit – Appointed January 2012 – trust closed March 2018

Experience

Employment

Brownjohn Consulting : main consultancy November 2022 to current

Recent Projects include

• Market and value chain analysis for offshore fisheries development – Republic of Palau, World Bank Advisory servicers and Analytics:  June 2024 – ongoing
• Marine Domain Awareness workshop, New Delhi.- ANU NSC –  ” CASE STUDIES IN MDA APPLICATIONS TO SPECIFIC MARITIME SECURITY CHALLENGES – LESSONS IN SELF DETERMINATION FROM THE PACIFIC ISLANDS”   11th  June 2024
• UNODC – Meeting of Experts: Challenges in addressing corruption in the fisheries sector. Virtual forum 10th June 2024.
• Marine Domain Awareness workshop, Sri Lanka.- ANU NSC –  ” BUILDING MARITIME DOMAIN AWARENESS IN SRI LANKA – LESSONS IN SELF-DETERMINATION FROM THE PACIFIC ISLANDS”   6^th June, 2024
• Enterprise-level assistance AEFP, Samoa.  FFA. 1st April  – 17^th May 2024
• Marine Domain Awareness workshop, Bangladesh.- ” BUILDING MARITIME DOMAIN AWARENESS IN BANGLADESH – LESSONS IN SELF-DETERMINATION FROM THE PACIFIC ISLANDS”   28 February 2024
• Industry advisor To KordaMentha Ltd, Singapore, re potential tuna investment by Gov of PNG. October- November, 2023
• Tuna industry expert witness. Government of Mozambique Vs Beauregarde Holdings LLP, Credit Suisse, VTBE, and others. Regarding an alleged fisheries investment fraud. Rolls Court, London.  March 2023 – December 2023
• Feasibility study on South Fly, PNG fisheries, processing hub and export facility, – team leader.  DFAT funded.  Feb 2023 – ongoing
• Advisory role to ACIAR/FFA funded “ Landscape and Opportunity Analysis in the Pacific Tuna Sector”,  2022- June 2023. 
• Developed a compendium of data on global and Pacific tuna fisheries, and support to COFI in organising the Pacific / China forum. May 2023.  “To develop a new era of regional fisheries cooperation through the Belt and Road Initiative” in Nanjing, China. December 2022 – May 2023
• Sub contract to advise on commercial aspects and opportunities for FSM based company business plan . FFA.  November 2022- March 2023
• Business plan scoping and development advice for Palau based fishing company.  December  2022.
• Peer review a European market report on the global canned tuna trade. November 2022.
• Advisory support for fishery port development RMI, –  ongoing advice to the company.
• Company Secretary, FIMS Inc, Nov 2019 to Feb 2023, and  advisory role to the CEO and board since Feb 2023.

Other roles:

PNA Association.(Vereniging)  2010 to February 2024, as trustee and company secretary to a Dutch based “Not for Profit” established  to hold equity for the PNA Parties in the Pacifical JV.

Pacifical Jv Director December 2010 to  December 2021. A Jv established for marketing , GI and traceability including blockchain for PNA MSC tunas from net to plate.

Company Secretary, FIMS Inc, Nov 2019 to Feb 2023, and  advisory role to the CEO and board since Feb 2023. Led the PNA acquisition of “ Fishery information Management systems” [FIMS] March to November  2019, an unrivalled “fit for purpose” IP, developed by PNG and the region to manage VDS and other programmes. Appointed by PNA+ Ministers as Company secretary to FIMS inc. in 2019, to continue until commercial debts cleared.

Review  of the rebate scheme and processing incentives.  2015 Seconded by PNAO to support NFA and MRAG Australia in the review of the tuna sector in PNG. This led to the introduction of the Rebate scheme 2017 and reviews in 2020/21 and 2022/2023  of the the highly successful rebate scheme and future development options for PNG.

Commercial Manager, PNA office Majuro, RMI. January 2010 – November 2022. Jan 2010-April 2012 seconded by Government of PNG, to set up of PNA Office , Majuro, Republic of Marshall islands and ensure self funded. April 2012 – November 2022, direct contract as Commercial Manager. Duties include commercial advice to 8 PNA Governments [Palau, FSM, RMI, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Solomon, Nauru and PNG] plus the Territory of Tokelau, and supporting the CEO, PNA staff, PNA Chairman, National fishery departments and Ministries and also industry liaison. The region has seen > 10-fold increase in revenues, significant increased investment and employment in the period. Represent the region in fisheries aspects of EU ACP, EU EPA, WTO Fishery subsidy, UN ABNJ, UK Brexit market access, and other current  agendas. Led world first MSC certification of free school skipjack and later Yellowfin and the MSC COC schemes to support, and this is maintained up to current.

Managing Director, THE NET SHOP 1988 – 2010, (a family company), Papua New Guinea’s only specialist manufacturer of fishing, aquaculture and industrial nets and related equipment supplying domestic and export markets. Through The Net Shop, extensive consultancy and advisory work in PNG and regionally to government and industry.

Managing Director, Latitude 8 Ltd 1997 – 2009, PNG’s largest citizen owned domestic sashimi tuna fishing company, with a fleet of 12 PNG flag longline vessels and staff of around 140 including fully localised seagoing crew, engineering, processing facilities and industrial ice works staff. Latitude 8 Ltd was credited with 60% of all fresh tuna exports from Papua New Guinea, including 1,200mt air flown to Japan in addition to other markets and awarded “Exporter of the Year” 2004.

Managing Director, Aerial Communications Ltd, 2001-2008. Specialist marine electronics company.

Department Of Fisheries and Marine Resources, 1985 – 1988 Seconded to Oro Province as business development manager/advisor establishing the Provincial Fisheries Authority. Revitalised extension and training activities, and resource surveys. Achieved 160-fold growth in wholesale fish trade in the province in the first year, and established several viable ventures including a boat building venture for local youth.

Provincial Fisheries Officer, West New Britain Province, 1983 – 1985 Responsibilities included rationalisation and commercialisation of national and provincial government concurrent interests including establishment of a joint Provincial Fisheries Authority.

District Fisheries Officer, Bialla District, West New Britain Province, 1981 – 1983 Responsible for the development of artisanal fisheries , extension services and successful fish marketing enterprises at community level.

Family commercial fishing business, Pre 1981, fishing inshore in English Channel. Held port record for salmon season in 1975 (Mudeford, Dorest, UK).

Board and Committee Membership

PNA Association ,  2011 – Feb 2024; VerenigingTrustee / board member / advisor,  a not for profit Dutch entity established for PNA nations to hold  50% shares in Pacifical JV.

Pacifical Jv, 2011-2020 , board member/ chairman, 2020-2022 continue as advisor to the board. A Dutch based JV established to bring together the PNA MSC certification and MSC COC, with the marketing and traceability skills of Sustunable Bv, a Dutch trader specialising in sustainable tuna trade.  This includes the comprehensive use of the Pacifical GI on 250 million retail units a year as a co brand promoting the MSC logo.

National Fisheries Authority Board (NFA Board) PNG, Foundation Member/Ex officio Member 1995 – 2012, and member 2012- December 2018 representing the Minister. Roles as a Director include: Member of State Foreign Fishing Access Negotiation Team 1995 – 2000, and on an ad hoc basis since 2000. Technical economic advisory group [TEAG] – fisheries sub group advising the Pacific Forum leaders, on EU-PACP Continou Trade negotiations. 2002-2007, 2011. Also PNA fisheries advisory role to the Forum EPA- EU/PACP negotiations since 2012, and TEAG member 2014. Member of the Forum fishery task force 2015- 2018. Member of the Tuna Management Subcommittee 1995 to 2009. Member of Legislative Review Teams 1995, 1998/99, 2001/2005, Member of ADB / Ausaid / EU / other project steering committees Member of various international forum delegations, including MHLC, PrepCon, WCPFC [including SC and TCC], FFC, USMLT,  and bilateral meetings. 2013 /14 assist the review of the PNG Tuna Management Plan TMP and other issues relating to maintaining market access to the EU, including IUU and yellow card. 2015- work with Fishery Minister and PM on reforming the tuna sector in PNG, and with team on introduction of Rebate scheme 2017 and in 2020/21 and 2022/2023  part of the team reviewing the highly successful rebate scheme and future development options for PNG.

Fishing Industry Association [PNG] Inc. [FIA] Founding Chairman/Chairman, January 1991 – 2009, Life member/executive 2009- current; an Incorporated Industry Association established to represent the interests of the PNG domestic commercial fishing industry in PNG. Headed the tuna and prawn sectors.

Member to the National Fisheries Advisory Council 1992-1996, private sector advisor to a Provincial Fishery Ministers forum, chaired by the national minister

Industry Assistance Board [IAB], Dept of Trade, Deputy Chairman. 1996 – 2005. Board established under Department of Commerce and Industry looking at industry incentives and fiscal environment including introduction of GST.

Consultative Implementation and Monitoring Council [CIMC] Founding Chairman/Chairman, 1998 to 2009 – Fisheries Working Group, reports annually at parliament on budget and policy issues.

Fishing Industry Training Advisory Council [FITAC] Founding Chairman/Chairman 1998 – 2018,   sets accreditation of fishery syllabus and standards and certifies training institutes serving the PNG fishing industry. Chair of select working group under FITAC 2001-2002, to develop Fishing Regulations under the Merchant Shipping Act, setting fishing Industry training and standards as competency based, and industry specific. Currently this sees about 1000 graduates a year employed in PNG industry.

PNG Industry Vocational Education and Training (PNGIVET). founding director 2001-2006 , consortium of industry associations established for training to Australian TAFE accreditation standards.

Founding Deputy Chairman, Pacific Island Tuna Industry Association [PITIA] 2005 to 2009 An association of Pacific Island National Fishing Industry Associations

Pacific Marine Industrial Zone Advisory Group (PMIZ) member, 2006 to 2009.State initiative to establish a 280 ha Marine Industrial Park as a Free Trade Zone.

Governing Council of PNG National Fisheries College, Kavieng, Member, 1990 – 2018. Oversaw the build of a start of art training vessel and the shift from academic to a competency-based training institution and a 50 fold growth in graduates with jobs in the sector annually.

Other Roles.

KOBE III,  Chaired FFA delegation  as head of PNG delegation, San Sebastian, Spain, 2009

CTA/ACP e-consultation . Global working group on IUU Fishing, start March 2009

CTI – Tuna Think Tank, Holland August 2010, follow up May 2011

CTI- FISHERY BUSINESS FORUM, speaker,  KL. Malaysia October 2011

6th WORLD OCEAN FORUM, Pusan – speaker, June 2012

SEAFOOD SUMMIT, HONG KONG, speaker, September 2012

INFOFISH GOVERNING COUNCIL, Manila, Delegate of the Government of  Papua New Guinea,  November 2012

PACP-EU SOPAC, “ DSM Project Law and Negotiations Workshop”, Nukulofa, Tonga Speaker  on “lessons to be learned from the fishery sector” and participant,  at,  11^th to 15^th March 2013

 ASIA CONFERENCE ON OCEANS, FOOD SECURITY AND BLUE GROWTH  (ACOFB 2013), speaker.  18th – 21^st June, 2013 | Bali, Indonesia.

 MSC STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOP, Seattle , July 2013

 WWF  –  MCS EMERGING TECHNOLOGY  WORKSHOP,  Honiara, Solomon Islands. Panellist,  21^st -22^nd March 2014

 ECONOMIC GROWTH FORUM – FISHERY SECTOR, Ministry of Finance, Honiara, Solomon Islands,  Speaker  and Fishery Sector  chairman,  26^th March 2014

 MSC CHAIN OF CUSTODY, EXPERT STEERING GROUP member.  London,  9^th April 2014

Revision of the Papua New Guinea,  Tuna Management Plan  and domestication policies – Industry consultation,  Co presenter / opening address,  18^th-19^th March 2014

INFO TUNA, trade conference Bangkok, Speaker 2014, 2015 and 2018

PACIFIC TUNA CONFERENCE, keynote speaker 2007, 2009, 2011, Speaker 2013, 2015, 2017.

AMERICAS TUNA CONFERENCE,  Panama, speaker and panelist 2016 and 2020

AFRICAN TUNA CONFERENCE, Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Speaker 2014

EUROPEAN TUNA CONFERENCE, Brussels. Speaker 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019.   Chairman, for session on EU and investments, 2017 and co host “EU and investments in PNG” Side event,2017.

PRINCE CHARLES’S TRUST, – INTERNATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY UNIT – An “overview of PNA initiatives and the PNA a case study” featured in the launch of Prince Charles’s Trust – International Sustainability Unit -Fisheries launch . , London, January 2012. I also presented on the PNA fisheries as the after dinner speaker, Trust meeting, Admiralty House, London, June 2016

WORLD TUNA DAY, originally launched Alotau, PNG 2012. UN adoption of World Tuna Day on 2nd May, as a UN event, 7th December 2016. Hosted WTD side event at the United Nations, 2nd May 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and virtual conference – “COVID Impacts on Pacific Fisheries” . 2021.

Brief the PNA ambassadors in the UN. UNCLOs instruments and cross cutting issues relative to BBNJ,   [including FAD issues and WTD celebration ]  1-3^rd May 2019

PACIFIC ISLAND FORUM. ,

• • Future of fisheries – “Is the USMLT sustainable in it’s current form?”, Pacific Island Forum 2015, PINA side event, 5th September 2015.

• • Lead speaker and Panellist for private sector / Leaders dialogue, “The Blue Pacific – A Sea Of Commerce Challenges And Opportunities”, 48th Pacific Island Forum Leaders Meeting, Apia, 7th September 2017. [Other Panelists – PNG prime Minister O’Niel and  Marshall Island president Heine].

GLOBAL OCEAN ACTION SUMMIT, The Hague, speaker on 3 panels on IUU, 22-25 April 2014

2^ND UNION OF AFRICAN FISHERIES MINISTERS, speaker  Addis Adaba, Ethiopia.  28-29 April 2014

ISSF FAD SIDE EVENT , WCPFC, Speaker Samoa  Nov 2014

UNDP – “RMI AFTER THE COMPACT 2023 – FISHERY OPPORTUNITIES”  Speaker/ Panellist.  April 2015,    

RMI TRADE MISSION TO FIJI,  Presenter  May 2015

WP FISHERY COUNCIL  BIGEYE WORKSHOP Speaker  Majuro 2015

HIGH COURT, WAIGANI, PNG. Expert Witness for the State Vs NBRDL claim for damages over a proposed fishery investment. August 2015

PACIFIC ISLAND FORUM – PINA side event, “Future of fisheries – Is the USMLT sustainable in it’s current form?”,  5^th September 2015

GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY COMPETITION Finalist 2017, finishing in top 20. Awarded AUSAID funding to facilitate training in Micro canning and SME enterprise development for Tuna bycatch utilisation in 2018/19.

IUNC  Beche de Mer Management Initiatives,  Speaker,  Tonga, 29^th September, 2015

WCPFC FAD working group, “PNA initiatives. “  Bali,  27^th November 2015

ISSF FAD TECHNOLOGY AND MONITORING EVENT ,speaker Bali,  1^st December 2015

SEAWEB  Conference Speaker and panellist Malta,  1-3^rd February 2016, Barcelona Spain,  18^thJune 2018,  Speaker and panellist “FIPS and MSC certification”

SEAWEB  Conference Bangkok,  13^th and 14^th June 2019, Speaker and panellist 2 sessions, MSC  “RFMOs –  Immunity to change”   and  Conservation International,   “PNA,  a working example of jurisdictional changes in tuna fisheries”

MSC STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION – “round table on Units of Assessment,  with special regards to tuna fisheries”,   6-7 June 2017, London

MSC SEAFOOD TRACEABILITY FORUM,  Technical advisor to Barcelona, Spain,  17^th June 2018

MSC P1 HARMONISATION meeting  Presenter  Hong Kong   March  2016

PNA MSC “Defending MSC recertification – adjudication hearings” team leader, London December 2011,    New York January 2018. Dubai, April  2022.

Government and investment arm officials of Government of OMAN, briefing on “tuna investment opportunities in the IOTC”.   Feb 2017.

Global FAD symposium  Santa Monica CA,  Expert Presenter, April 2017

PNG APEC/ABAC Food security summit August 2018, Port Moresby. – fisheries, Moderator and speaker on “Securing marine resources” and “Enhancing value chains”

APEC CEO Summit, 16^th November 2018, Port Moresby Panellist covering  Fisheries sector on “Dialogue on global and regional food sustainability and security”, 

FISH 2.0; USAID/AUSAID private sector fisheries investment forum panellist, Brisbane April 2019.

FISH4ACP, 2019. value chain submission lodged in Brussels, justifierd in NZ, a multi million dollar, multi year FAO support to domestic industry, through MIMRA, RMI

6^th ACP Ministers of Fisheries and Aquaculture “Reducing Post-harvest losses, enhancing value addition and market access”, and  “Multilateral ocean governance agreements  -conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ)” – Aquaculture, 9-13 September 2019, Apia Samoa

Palau summit “Leveraging VDS for community fishery development in Palau”,   December 2019

Nauru Government Presentation  “Potential for a Nauru Cannery- broadening  the revenue base of the economy ” ,  to Government or Nauru Fishery and treasury  officials and Deputy Australian High Commissioner,  Meneng, Nauru, 17 /1/2020

Marshall High School students “ Tuna Club” guest lecturer “PNA  tuna fishery overview ”   sponsored by US embassy 5th Feb 2020

Korea Overseas Fishery Cooperation Centre.  Fishery Investment Conference – 15 September 2021.   “ PNA – 8 Small Island Nations  or 8 Large Ocean States? – Fishery overview and Investment opportunities.”

The Opes Oceani Foundation and Finology.  Panelist, “An Evaluation of “Seychelles Blue Finance: A Blueprint for Pacific Countries””.13 Oct 2021

WTO Fishery Subsidy Agreement –  ongoing remote support for Geneva  Ambassadorial negotiation team.  2021-2022

37th Australia Papua New Guinea Business Forum & Trade Expo, Brisbane, Australia, 23-25 May 2022 –  “A PNG industry perspective [includes Torres Strait case study]”

Author / Co author  papers include:

• • “The effects of colour on gill nets in a coastal fishery” University of Plymouth, UK 1981 “The effects of colour on gill nets in a coastal fishery”
  • FAO  – FAD gear marking  technical input and peer review.   2016

• • Co author  joint Global Fad working group, 5 reports ,  April   2017, Madrid

• • Peer review MRAG study part 1 and 2  into FADs in WCPO,   2018

• •  “Management and mitigation of drifting FAD fishing in the world largest tuna purse seine fishery,”  Indo-Pacifique Fishery conference,  Tahiti, October  2018

• • “ Environmental versus operational drivers of drifting FAD beaching in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean,”   Published in Nature. September   2019.    https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-50364-0

• • Peer review, WCPFC  PEW transhipment study. October  2019

• • “Covid-19 Protocols for Industry”,  August 2020 and updated periodically- current  V5.2

• • “Quantifying drifting Fish Aggregating Device use by the world’s largest tuna fishery” ICES Journal of Marine Science 78(7) June 2021

• • Co author report on “Investigating the value of fish aggregating device data to ocean and climate forecasts for fisheries” . Bureau of meteorology, Australia  2022

• • Co author article in The Australian  19/6/23 / Islands Business July.  “The need for minimum terms and conditions in Deep sea mining.”
  • Co author article in Islands Business september 2023.   Opinion: “Seabed mining rules lapse is window for Pacific regulations  “https://islandsbusiness.com/2023/deep-sea-mining-2/. Also published in Strategic Analysis Australia Sept 2023 https://strategicanalysis.org/seabed-mining-rules-lapse-is-window-for-pacific-regulations/

  • Viewpoint Article aTuna online. 19^th March 2024,   “ Is Technology Creep Masking An Underlying Decline In Stocks Of Tropical Tunas?”

  • Co author article in Strategic Analysis Australia,  “A Pacific Ocean Expedition” April 2024,

  • Viewpoint Article aTuna online. 29th Mary 2024,   “ How Effective Are RFMO Measures When Technology Creep Threatens Stocks?”

     

Video documentaries

• • In 2009  work with the BBC to  make a documentary “South Pacific – Fragile Paradise” on tuna purse seining  in PNG waters.  https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00l7q55

• • 2013  work with Eyeworks of Sweden on a  documentary for Nat Geo on  the MSC;  with Majuro  port  and the PNA skipjack certification as a case study. Compared by Sir Richard Branson.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPOTbr3RvMk&t=23s

• • 2018  work with MSC USA and GENOVA brand on a documentary on MSC yellowfin filmed in Majuro port. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwjgTYJM5zM&t=33s   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGMroyCLyrA

• • PNA Micro canning initiative for SMEs,  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOYu2njgg5o

PNG Business Times, Newspaper ,

• • Monthly contributed 1,500 word articles on PNG fisheries, policy and development issues throughout the  late 1990’s, until the newspaper closed circulation 2002.

PNA , FIMS and Pacifical  News letters

• • co editor and contributor.

Recent book publications featuring my work and numerous references.

“Fishing For Success – Lessons in Pacific Regionalism / First 10 years  of The PNA office”,  Dr Transform Aqorau,  published, ANU press, June 2020

https://dpa.bellschool.anu.edu.au/sites/default/files/uploads/2020-06/tuna-aqorau_dpa_book_final_v7_june_2020.pdf

“Tuna Wars”, Steven Adolph.    Published November 2019, .https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783030206406,