Fisheries in the Pacific (original) (raw)
Related papers
Not a great deal is known, in terms of the information required for administration, about the coastal fisheries of most of the Pacific Islands1. These are multispecies (even multiphylum) fisheries, carried out mainly at the village level from a multitude of landing points, and the great majority of production does not pass through the cash economy. Quantification is thus extremely difficult, given the financial resources available to Pacific Island fisheries administrations. Indeed, most Pacific islands did not have any government service dedicated to fisheries until the 1960s or 70s, and we are only now starting to get an idea of the extent of the subsistence component of these fisheries. It is similarly difficult to get an idea of the exploitation status of coastal fisheries in the various Pacific Islands, and this was one of the reasons behind the convention of a previous meeting at SPC headquarters in August 1988: to make a first attempt to draw together the available knowledge about inshore resources. The Inshore Resources Workshop was an event that enabled a great deal of information to reach Pacific Island fisheries administrations, but which also provided considerable guidance to the future work programmes of the relevant sections of SPC and FFA. A review of fisheries research capabilities in the Pacific Islands in 1986 had been fairly pessimistic about the capabilities of the newly-localised Pacific Islands fisheries administrations to assess the state of their fisheries. Given the small size of most of these nations, and the commonality of many of the resource problems they faced it was clear that shared facilities via the regional fisheries organisations could be of benefit to all. There was not the same intenational mandate for cooperation in coastal fisheries as there was for highly migratory fishes through the Law of the Sea Conferences that would not come until the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992, and Agenda 21—but it was felt that the region could benefit from the same economies of scale that had already benefitted regional research and development of tuna fisheries. In 1987 the SPC Fisheries Programme and the FFA implemented projects designed to address the need for management-oriented research on coastal fisheries. These were, respectively, the Inshore Fisheries Research Project and the Research Coordination Unit, with the SPC concentrating on assisting and training member country fisheries departments in describing and evaluating fisheries where information was grievously lacking, and the FFA concentrating on providing linkages and drawing together already-available information. The 1988 Inshore Fisheries Resources Workshop was a major defining event in the direction of both these projects. The subject of this report, the 1995 Inshore Fisheries Management Workshop, is an attempt to define “Stage II” on the road towards the goal of effective management of Pacific Island Inshore Fisheries. In the 7 years since the 1988 Inshore Fisheries Resources Workshop it is hoped that enough information has been compiled about the resources of common concern to enable consideration of the best ways to manage them. In reality, of course, progress does not go by such easy stages. It is incremental, and moves at a different pace in different countries. Progress in national capabilities towards fisheries management in the Pacific Islands has been generally rendered invisible by other overwhelming changes, particularly the aftermath of de-colonialisation with its effects on the availability of technical skills, and the diversion of external resources to countries of the former Warsaw Pact. Unfortunately for Pacific marine resources, external assistance is based on the number of people in the region, not on the proportion of the Earth’s oceans that those people must look after. However, despite the unevenness of progress towards better institutional management of fisheries in the islands, it is clear that basic knowledge has improved and that there is a much more realistic attitude in place concerning the workability of different resource maintenance strategies. Indeed, in certain areas, particularly mechanisms of resource-ownership, the Pacific Islands could have a great deal to teach the rest of the world. The workshop is intended to share and compare different experiences in coastal fisheries management, not only between Pacific Island countries, but between the Pacific Islands and the outside world.
Fisheries in the Pacific The Challenges of Governance and Sustainability
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), 2015
This book owes much to the attentive reading and constructive comments of its anonymous reviewers, to Grace Delobel's conscientious work of proofreading and translation, to Pascale Bonnemère institutional support and to Emilie Courel, our publishing assistant. We owe them our gratitude. Last but not least, the realization of both the workshop and the book were greatly facilitated by the efficient assistance of the Protisvalor team. Thank you.
ISSN 0248-076XNumber 106 (July–September 2003) Third Heads of Fisheries Meeting Page 2
2003
Several important meetings were held during this quarter. The Third Head of Fisheries Meeting took place in Noumea, New Caledonia, from 18 to 23 August 2003. This meeting is the sole occasion when the people in charge of the fisheries sector in the Pacific Islands can get together to examine the overall situation and problems with regards to fisheries, share their experiences with their colleagues, and provide invaluable advice to the heads of SPC's Marine Resources Division. Among the topics covered during this meeting particularly noteworthy was the presentation of a paper proposing technical solutions to reduce or even end sea bird bycatch during longlining operations.
Introduction: Pacific Islanders as ‘custodians of the ocean’ facing fisheries challenges
2016
This book owes much to the attentive reading and constructive comments of its anonymous reviewers, to Grace Delobel's conscientious work of proofreading and translation, to Pascale Bonnemère institutional support and to Emilie Courel, our publishing assistant. We owe them our gratitude. Last but not least, the realization of both the workshop and the book were greatly facilitated by the efficient assistance of the Protisvalor team. Thank you.
Rethinking fisheries policy in the Pacific
Marine Policy, 2004
The Resource Management in Asia-Pacific Working Paper series seeks to provide readers with access to current research on environmental and resource issues in the Asia-Pacific. Working Papers produced by the Program aim to facilitate discussion and debate on critical resource management issues in the area, and to link scholars working in different disciplines and regions. Publication as a 'Working Paper' does not preclude subsequent publication in scholarly journals or books, indeed it may facilitate publication by providing feedback from readers to authors. Unless otherwise stated, publications of the Resource Management in Asia-Pacific Program are presented without endorsement as contributions to the public record debate. Authors are responsible for their own analysis and conclusions.
Research on fisheries in the Pacific Islands region
South Pacific Commission and …, 1995
This review was compiled jointly by the Resource Assessment Section of the South Pacific Commission (SPC) Fisheries Programme and the Research Coordination Unit (RCU) of the South Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA). The intentions of the review are:- 1. to update some aspects of previous regional research reviews—see Anon. (1962), Fakahau et al. (1986), Herr (1990)—as part of the summing-up process of the work of SPC's Inshore Fisheries Research Project (1988-1994) and the FFA's RCU (1988 -1995); 2. to provide baseline information for possible development of a Pacific Island consensus regional coastal fisheries research strategy; 3. to develop a working paper for discussion at the June, 1995 workshop on Inshore Fisheries Management, convened jointly by FFA and SPC in Nouméa;
Coastal Fisheries in the Pacific Islands
1996
Coastal fisheries in the South Pacific are reviewed, including descriptions of fisheries, catch composition, catch rates and fisheries biology studies conducted on target stocks. The most widely targeted coastal fish stocks are reef fishes and coastal pelagic fishes. Small pelagic species are important for subsistence and small-scale commercial fisheries. Previously, small pelagic resources were important as a source of live bait for pole-and-line tuna fishing, but this method is declining and only one large bait fishery is left in the region in the Solomon Islands. The pole-and-line bait fisheries represent the only large-scale industrial fisheries to have operated in the coral reef lagoons of the Pacific. Estuarine resources are of major importance only in the large islands of Melanesia but are the staple diet of a relatively large proportion of the total South Pacific population. Deep slope fish stocks form the basis of only two commercial fisheries in the region and expansion of deep slope fishing comparable with the 1970s and 1980s is unlikely to occur again. Commercial fisheries development is currently orientated towards small- and medium-scale long-line fisheries for offshore pelagic resources, where high value tunas and billfishes are caught for export markets. The total coastal fisheries production from the region amounts to just over 100000 tyr-l, worth a nominal US$262 000 000. About 80% of this production is from subsistence fishing. Just under half the total annual commercial catch comes from fishing on coral reefs, which includes a small tonnage of deep slope species. Invertebrates are the most valuable inshore fisheries resources and these include sea-cucumbers, trochus and pearl oyster. Lobsters and mangrove crabs form the basis of small-scale commercial fisheries, as also do penaeid shrimps, except in PNG where they are caught in large quantities through trawling. Mariculture of shrimps is becoming increasingly popular in the region and is a major industry in New Caledonia. The greatest influence on coastal fisheries in the Pacific through the next decade is likely to come from southeast and east Asia, where the demand for high value coastal fishes and invertebrates has led to large scale depletions and has motivated entrepreneurs to seek stocks in the neighbouring Pacific islands.
Optimizing Fisheries Benefits in the Pacific Islands : Major Issues and Constraints
World Bank Other Operational Studies, 2008
The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper do not necessarily reflect the views of the Executive Directors of the World Bank on the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. The material in this publication is copyrighted. Copying and/or transmitting portions or all of this work without permission may be a violation of applicable law. The World Bank encourages dissemination of its work and will normally grant permission to reproduce portions of the work promptly.
Pacific Cooperation Plan - Preliminary Sector Analysis - Fisheries
Fisheries and aquaculture production by the Pacific Islands Forum and Community region is roughly estimated to be worth US$850 million, not counting other economic benefits such as employment etc., whilst the value of fish caught in the Western and Central Pacific region by non-Pacific Island vessels is worth up to US$2 billion. Apart from skipjack tuna, most Pacific Island fish stocks, whether offshore or inshore, are felt to be at their maximum safe level of production, and extra economic benefit is likely to be derived not from increasing overall fishing effort in the region but from (a) developing higher-price markets and higher-value or higher-quality products (including live fish); (b) Pacific Island vessels substituting for distant water fishing vessels, or encouraging foreign vessels to land fish in Pacific Island countries for value-adding; (c) transcending the limits of natural marine systems through aquaculture; and (d) researching new fisheries for hitherto-unused marine organisms. Before trying to increase the economic value of fisheries and aquaculture however, it will be essential for PICTs to consolidate and sustain the value of what they currently have. Whilst fisheries are renewable resources, the value of fisheries is vulnerable both to overfishing and (in the nearshore especially) to other human impacts such as pollution. Limits are already being brought to bear on the regional tuna fishery, and several critical inshore fisheries have been limited by government action. Everywhere there is a groundswell of support for strengthening traditional and community management systems for inshore fisheries, which can relieve some of the limitations on government. This trend is encouraging and this region can justifiably consider itself ahead of many other regions, including parts of the developed world, in applying sound governance principles to fisheries. However, specific attention is needed to improve the integrity of modern, offshore fisheries licencing systems, and a major challenge awaits any government that tries to effectively integrate coastal and marine areas into a whole-island management system in order to tackle land-based effects on the marine environment. Some probable issues for the future are discussed, including the likelihood of increasing conflict between user-groups as resources hit their limits, the role of the Pacific Islands Regional Ocean Policy, and the need for a regional decision on the future of regional marine spaces to accommodate different users. An ocean management regime that is robust in the face of inadequate information, and which contains “insurance”, is preferable to a regime that attempts to squeeze every last possible financial benefit out of the ocean.
Introduction: Pacific Islanders, “custodians of the ocean” facing fisheries challenges
2016
HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés. Introduction: Pacific Islanders as ‘custodians of the ocean’ facing fisheries challenges Elodie Fache, Simonne Pauwels, Joeli Veitayaki