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The National Fisheries Authority (NFA) underwent a reorganisation process from 1999–2003. As part of the reorganisation, provincial and lower-level government (LLG) agencies were given greater responsibility for the development and management of inshore fisheries resources. This approach was intended to: • build natural resource management capacity at provincial and local government levels; • improve the effectiveness of fishery management arrangements through greater stakeholder participation in the management process; • meet NFA's obligations under the Organic Law to provincial and LLGs, which requires central agencies to devolve responsibility for natural resources development and management to lower levels of government; • provide revenue-raising opportunities for provincial and local governments; and • free NFA of primary responsibility for managing numerous and dispersed local fisheries, which NFA is not equipped to do.

The Papua New Guinea (PNG) National Fisheries Authority (NFA) underwent a reorganization process during the Fisheries Development Project (FDP) from 1999–2003, in which it was determined that provincial and lower-level government agencies should be more involved in the development and management of inshore fisheries resources. This approach was adopted with the expectation that it would: • build natural resource management capacity at provincial and local government levels; • improve the effectiveness of fishery management arrangements through greater stakeholder participation in the management process; • meet NFA's obligations under the Organic Law on Provincial and Local-Level Governments, which requires central agencies to devolve responsibility for natural resources development and management to lower levels of government; • provide revenue raising opportunities for provincial and local governments; and • free NFA of primary responsibility for managing numerous, dispersed local fisheries, which the Authority is not equipped to do.