A Fishery Management Area (FMA) is the base unit used in the management of the marine aquarium trade in PNG. An FMA is a geographically defined and resource mapped coastal marine area whose boundaries are determined by traditional local community resource ownership boundaries. Creating an FMA based on these parameters allows for science-based management of the FMA's marine ecosystems and local resource owner practical management of the fisheries. This linking of modern resource management requirements, processes and

tools with traditional systems of resource rights management allows this new trade to develop in ways that are supportive of the needs and desires of the local resource owners yet maintain the sustainability of their resource base. Maintaining and improving an FMA's ecosystem and habitat integrity is key to the PNG National Fishery Authority's (NFA) and EcoEZ Inc's SEASMART Program's efforts to develop a sustainable, equitable and profitable marine aquarium industry in PNG.