*•• ^'~. L ^SOUTH PACIFIC COMMISSION FISHERIES NEWSLETTER NUMBER 57 APRIL —JUNE 1991 IN THIS ISSUE SPC ACTIVITIES 2 •:"f ^ NEWS FROM IN AND AROUND THE REGION 17 VA «HM •L'^l^ri FISHERIES SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 21 t*V^n ABSTRACTS 22 REMOTE SENSING AND IMAGE ANALYSIS 24 IN PACIFIC ISLAND FISHERIES RESEARCH 1MB . by G.L Preston *1URHELE BEGINNING OF W TAWAT& FIELD AC'itvrnES FOR IM>I © Copyright South Pacific Commission 1991 The South Pacific Commission authorises the reproduclion of this material, whole or in part, in any form, provided appropriate acknowledgement is given. Original text English B.P. D5, NOUMEA CEDI-X, New Caledonia - Telephone: 2620.00 - Cable: SOUTHPACOM NOUMI-A - Telex: 3139NM SOPACOM - Fax: (687) 26 38 18 SPC ACTIVITIES • FISH HANDLING AND PROCESSING PROJECT Post-harvest Fisheries Study Tour to Pacific Latin America A team from the Pacific Island sion), Santiago, Chile. It has a Fiji; Mr Satalaka Petaia, Fishe­ region undertook a study tour similar function to the Western ries Extension and Develop­ to Pacific Latin America during Pacific Fisheries Consultative ment Officer, Fisheries Divi­ April to study and evaluate the Committee, which fosters co­ sion, Tuvalu; and Mr Nadara- expertise available and the operation between the coun­ jah Rajeswaran, Senior Resour­ technologies developed in post- tries of Pacific South-East Asia ces Development Officer, De­ harvest fisheries in Mexico, and the Pacific Islands. partment of Fisheries and Ma­ Ecuador, Peru and Chile. rine Resources, Papua New The general objectives of the Guinea. The tour was also The study tour was funded by study tour were to explore areas joined by Dr Gordon Munro, the Canadian International De­ of post-harvest fisheries tech­ Coordinator PECC Task Force velopment Agency (CIDA), nology expertise in Pacific Latin on Fisheries Development and and was the first activity under America which can be of benefit Cooperation, and Senora Lola the Trans-Pacific Fisheries Con­ to Pacific Island countries and Dulanto de Soldi from Peru, sultative Committee (TPFCC) to evaluate the potential for who acted as interpreter. since its creation in July 1990 at utilising this expertise to assist a meeting in Port Moresby. The training and applied research The study tour members iden­ TPFCC is an informal body activities. tified a number of areas where designed to facilitate co-op­ the impressive level of technical eration in the area of fisheries The study tour participants expertise in the Latin American between countries of Pacific were Mr Steve Roberts (study countries visited could assist Latin America and the Pacific tour leader), Post-harvest Fish­ the Pacific Islands. These in­ Islands. It is based at the head­ eries Adviser, South Pacific clude training in quality control quarters of the Comision Per- Commission; Mr Maciu Lagi- and inspection services, parti­ menente del Pacifico Sur (Per­ balavu, Acting Principal Fish­ cularly in Ecuador and Chile, manent South Pacific Commis­ eries Officer, Fisheries Division, solar tent fish drying technol- Samples of smoked fish produced at the National Fisheries Institute, Guayaquil, Ecuador. SPC Fisheries Newsletter #57 p SPC ACTIVITIES ogy in Ecuador, low-cost fish changes among scientists and for specific projects and for smoking and salting techniques trainers. training opportunities in Latin in Ecuador and Peru, technical America. A report outlining assistance at a regional work­ The study tour representatives these opportunities will be pub­ shops (e.g. SPC's regional from the three Pacific Island lished and countries in the re­ workshop for the chilled fish countries were impressed with gion interested in any of the sector) and a whole range of li­ the high degree of commitment areas described can apply for terature and product formula­ to the post-harvest fisheries such technical assistance. Those tions (burgers, sausages, sector in each country and felt interested should inform SPC's smoked products, etc.), which that the Pacific Islands need to Post-harvest Fisheries Adviser. were collected in each country expand their activities in this visited. It was also recognised important technical area if they *?» that the establishment of the are to benefit fully from their Regional Post-harvest Fisheries marine resources. Centre in Suva, Fiji within the next two years will provide a Funding is po tentially available focal point for co-operative ap­ for technical experts (with a plied research projects and ex­ good understanding of English) Study tour team members Maciu Lagibalavu, Fiji (top left), Satalaka Petaia, Tuvalu (bottom left) and N. Rajeswaran, PNG (third from right) watch fish research technologist Ramon Montano of the National Fisheries Institute in Guayaquil prepare mahi-mahi for salting and smoking. Women's Fisheries Programme starts at SPC On 15 May Shirley Steele joined For the past three years Shirley Women in the capacity of Ex­ the South Pacific Commission has been living in Kavieng, ecutive Officer. Her more re­ as the Women's Fisheries Pro­ New Ireland, Papua New cent job was as lecturer in Busi­ gramme Officer within the Guinea. Her initial assignment ness Studies, and English at the Post-Harvest Fisheries Project in PNG was with the New National Fisheries College in Ireland Provincial Council of Kavieng. SPC Fisheries Newsletter #57 SPC ACTIVITIES Prior to living in PNG, Shirley As the Women's Fisheries Pro­ providing support and assis­ worked in various Canadian gramme Officer, Shirley will be tance to the ICOD-funded colleges and universities, pri­ responsible for developing, co­ Women-in-Fisheries Support marily as a programme co­ ordinating and enhancing post- Project. ^^ ordinator and counsellor. She harvest fisheries activities re­ has also worked as a youth lating to women throughout the consultant and employment South Pacific. Much of her time equity consultant with the Ca­ during the next six months will nadian Federal Government. be spent in Papua New Guinea • DEEP SEA FISHERIES DEVELOPMENT PROJECT NOTES Canadian Peter Watt, who has Marketing of these catches by A practical SPC manual on worked with the Project as a airfreight to Hawaii and the vertical longlining and a train­ consultant for some time (see U.S. West Coast is now under ing video are presently in Fisheries Newsletter #56) was way and it appears that the preparation. >*^ engaged as a full-time Master- fishery will expand rapidly. fisherman in March, bringing the Project's field-staff comple­ ment to three. Peter brings to the Project ex­ tensive experience in Pacific Islands fisheries, having worked for more than four years in Vanuatu under the Village Fisheries Development Project. He also holds certifica­ tion as a vessel master and has wide commercial fishing expe­ rience. Apart from his native English, Peter is comfortable in both French and Bislama. His present duty station is Western Samoa, where, fol­ lowing the success of the tuna longlining trials already re­ ported in these pages, he has developed a manual vertical longlining system suited to the local alia catamaran fleet. Fishing trials to date have proven to be more productive than those conducted from the Fisheries Division vessel. Some ten alia crews have now adopted this longlining method and are typically landing catches of prime tuna of about 200 —300 kg a trip. Masterfisherman Peter Watt and the wooden hauling drum he has developed for vertical longlining in Western Samoa. SPC Fisheries Newsletter #57 SPG ACTIVITIES I FISHERIES INFORMATION PROJECT SIG Information Bulletins The concept behind Special In­ relevant to the interests of hoped that it will increase terest Groups (SIGs) is to estab­ group members on an occa­ awareness and understanding lish networks of individuals sional basis, mainly in the form of ciguatera in Pacific Basin working in similar subject of this type of bulletin. In return, countries; it will also provide a areas, so as to encourage the SPC asks group members to forum for exchange of ideas on sharing of information and keep it informed of their own how ciguatera can be managed. ideas in the region. activities in the subject field, and The SIGs are being established in response to the needs of Pa­ FISHERIES INFORMATION PRUJELT \ SOUTH PACIFIC COMMISSION cific Island fishery scientists and ,• K> VOX IS - NOUMEA development workers, as ex­ Li- J NEW CALEDONIA pressed at the SPC Workshop on Pacific Inshore Fishery Re­ CIGUATERA sources in March 1988 and at the 21st Regional Technical INFORMATION BUlLETltt NoiJo L • Mif L»l L*Nk. Oimohnl Dtp. rf Prirow \*kmim., Juubni Kick* tain, W. DaiTt, torpim Meeting on Fisheries in August IM*. CU 4SM, *IMH3O. 1989. In both cases, representa­ NOTE fflOM THE CO-OHDINATOK- Ihr Qgu#b>p Wofrtaliin Bulletin ta in Importune itnv Inside this issue tives of the Commission's 22 initdlivc rf Ow South Pacific Commtalnn. This hilftfn •nmgr^MH (fa ti^dficonoe pf ths [wnMnn of dgnKia n Pacific Island member countries ifuny r*dfic blmJ CDLntrln. II Is hoped tto bulletin vM: 4) PDTB* *wmw*i and uiulentiiKlIng ct rigitMcro In Pari- hicMcby PC Hodti fie Bain countries (ID jmrMe A (brum fc*- tnrdwFgc (V H« and territories urged SPC to wl how d£u*ifis PHI b; mHiwgxlj (Jfl) bvrilblr rmr ocrfr nie icpoctinf; of twftMrnla tt dgwtnn fai the regkm; ftv) ptovtdc * ™Wdc tor fl* doanwrnnkm ami diEMiiliuikm become more active in the col­ of IHUIH cf ptiidla an C^IL-IVM In Ihe Kffcn; and M hJgMs^Tl bnfiirunt rc*nich f\n#ngi frnhrftring Jiitm b- lection, repackaging and dis­ hjrpinrfr$ bifcca^viring dguatra thtm^hrul iht? wrtl, EUJIHLII of djxihaii lull H-aw, by flJ. totafc F*w A semination of information on The Ant Silktin Afntilm a wnatin rrf jwjttka] itfumiMkni denAy dMoibing dpucjpra, ivfiirte HI juturvh finUinjjS frpouowir DI efcjatan COM and cttrmfcim (rrhvn gn^qu in tin: fn-kl To UtneJilkrOtal Wny Avntrg.