Papua New Guinea’s government has warned communities not to fish from parts of the New Ireland coastline as preliminary tests show evidence of metals in some water samples, after months of residents reporting dead marine life in the area. On 7 May the fisheries minister, Jelta Wong, said initial testing conducted by an independent company detected various metals in water samples taken from affected areas around Kafkaf village and Larairu lagoon in New Ireland, an island in eastern PNG.
“The results indicate the presence of poisonous minerals in the marine environment and further investigations are continuing,” Wong said at a press conference. Concern was first raised in December 2025, when residents on New Ireland’s coast began reporting unusual numbers of dead fish washing ashore.
The communities of Kafkaf and Mangai were most affected. Commercial and subsistence fishing take place in New Ireland.
Independent environmental organisation Ailan Awareness has conducted assessments in the area and at least 11 villages and more than 1,250 people have been affected through illness or contaminated food and water. Residents said reef fish were found floating dead in shallow waters with swollen eyes, damaged skin and discoloured flesh.
Within weeks, the number of marine animal deaths rose, alarming communities that are heavily dependent on the ocean for food and income. Some residents have reported health problems after swimming or fishing in the affected waters.