The National Fisheries Authority in Papua New Guinea has ordered the temporary closure of RD Tuna Cannery for alleged breaches of health standards.
The closure has left more than 3500 production workers from both the cannery and the ice plant at Vidar Passage out of work since Saturday.
The Post Courier reports the cannery was ordered to stop production for two weeks because birds were nesting in the main production plant and the cannery was dumping waste improperly.
According to one employee, NFA inspectors paid a "surprise visit" and ordered the cannery to clean up the waste which they considered to be a health hazard.
The stoppage of production could affect households which normally depend heavily on canned fish, if it is prolonged.
