REPORT ON THE SOUTH PACIFIC COMMISSION OUTER REEF FISHERIES PROJECT IN WESTERN SAMOA 1 April — 31 October 1975 by Howard Hume Project Manager and Reg Eginton Master Fisherman Edited by R.H. Baird Fisheries Adviser South Pacific Commission 55/76 Noumea, New Caledonia February 1976 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Introduction 1 Project Personnel 1 Training 1 Boats and equipment 2 Area of operations 2 Poisonous fish 3 Fishing effort 3 Marketing 4 Boats suitable for further operations 5 Economics of Fishing in the Asau Area 6 Follow-up operations 8 Summary of recommendations APPENDICES I. Fish Species Caught 13 II. Fishing Methods 15 III. List of basic fishing equipment for an FAO 28 ft. fishing vessel 19 iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to acknowledge the helpful assistance given to us by all the Government Departments with which we had to deal. These included Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries; Customs; Immigration; Post and Telegraph; Public Works and Treasury. Both Air Samoa and Potlatch (Samoa) inc., gave frequent and welcome help in the field as did Mr Pale Taumaia, Fisheries Liaison Officer. Forestry Officers, Messrs Tiitii Lemafa and Karl Tolley, gave us every possible assistance. The Member of Parliament for the Vaisala region, the Honourable Vaai Kolone and the Member for Sataua and Minister for Lands, the Honourable Lesatele Rapi, both took a keen interest in the Project, as did Dr Jack Slattery, Peace Corps Training Officer, Mr Hans Kruse, Director of Economic Development and Mr Iulai Toma, Representative for Western Samoa on the South Pacific Commission. Mr Luatua Vesi, the Fisheries Controlling Officer, gave us every possible aid. Close collaboration was maintained between SPC and the FAO Fisheries Adviser, Mr. Oyvind Gulbrandsen and later the FAO Boatbuilder, Mr Arild Overaa. It was felt that this was a good example of two international organizations working together towards a common objective. We would like to express our appreciation of the active interest shown in the Project by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Honourak Vaovasamanaia Filipo. Finally we are deeply indebted to Mr Willie Meredith, Director of Agriculture, for the very real support and assistance he gave the Project from the time of the original decision to move to Western Samoa and his enthusiastic help throughout our entire time there. v SUMMARY The Project Transferred from the New Hebrides and arrived in Western Samoa in late March 1975. Because of delays in starting due to damage to boats and a period of boat unserviceability in mid-project, the Project was emended by one month to 31 October 1975. Asau in the northwest of the island of Savai’i was chosen as base. This choice was vindicated as the harbour proved to be satisfactory and was well away from the main centre of population with reasonable fishing grounds within easy reach. The Project operated throughout with one 24 ft. aluminium boat and one 24 ft. Pago Pago-built Oregon dory, both boats having jet drives, early October a second Pago-built dory was delivered, diesel-powered and shaft and propeller-driven. One FAO designed 28 ft., outboard-powered, locally-built boat was made available to the Project by the Government for a period of about two months. A similar boat, but with a 33 h.p. inboard diesel engine, was ordered and was delivered to the Project just prior to departure for the Cook Islands. In view of the fact that Western Samoan fishermen have considerable experience in trolling with outboard-powered local canoes, the Project effort in fishing and training was concentrated on deep water bottom fishing with hand and electric winch reels, trolling only being undertaken on an opportunist and experimental basis, and to supply bait for bottom fishing. SPC Project personnel consisted of the Project Manager, the Master Fisherman, two Boat Skipper Fishermen and a Marine Mechanic. In the course of the Project 13 trainees were attached to the Project for periods of from four to ten weeks. The Project was self-contained in that it had its own ice-making plant and an 18 m3 freezer, the latter not being used in Asau — a domestic freezer cabinet proved to be sufficient. Fish marketing was done locally through a Government representative and sold at the Government controlled price of 20 sene (21 cts. A.) per lb. Much exploratory fishing was done and areas of abundance of fish were not fished regularly. One 16-day period of simulated commercial fishing by two boats each with two men produced an-average catch of 140 lb. (63 kg) per trip of bottom fish and 179 lb. (81 kg) per trip of pelagic fish. Over a six-month period the average bottom catch per night per boat was 182 lb. (83 kg), and the average trolling and poling catch 61 lb. (28 kg). vii Introduction 1. The South Pacific Commission Outer Reef Artisanal Fishing Project transferred from the New Hebrides to Asau, Savai’i, Western Samoa via Apia, the port of entry, in late March 1975. Because of delays in the start of fishing operations and lost fishing time in June, when both boats were unoperational for most of the month, the Project was extended to a 7-month period, i e. from 1 April to 31 October. 2. The aims of the Project were to survey local resources and assess the economic feasibility of fishing commercially, to determine and demonstrate fishing techniques suitable to the area, and to train local fishermen. The ultimate goal was to assess the feasibility of the establishment of village-level fishing efforts that would utilize coastal fish resources, provide high protein food at a reasonable cost, and reduce the present high level of imports of foreign canned fish products. Project Personnel 3. The initial Project team in Western Samoa was Project Manager H.R. Hume; Master Fisherman R. Eginton and Boat Skipper/Fishermen P.D. Mead and C.B. Scott. In Augnst N. Nicoll, Marine Mechanic, joined the team. 4. Mr Pale Taumaia, Fisheries Assistant from the Fisheries Division, Apia, acted as liaison officer with the Project throughout its time in Asau. Eight other members from the Fisheries Division were also attached to the team at some time during its operation. Training 5. Thirteen fishermen trainees were attached to the team for periods of from four to ten weeks. Two of these men were from Asau, six from Falealupo, three from Auala, one from Neiafu and one from NPF Apia. Many more local people visited the Project, some of whom joined us for fishing trips. More men would have been trained if recruiting methods could have been improved. Many of the village leaders were loath to encourage their men to join us when crops were being worked. We are indebted to Father Frank Ward for his assistance in sending fishermen from the Falealupo region for training with the Project. 6. The majority of the trainees who joined the Project had experience in trolling from outrigger canoes and were energetic and keen to learn any new techniques. Because Western Samoans were already experienced in trolling for skipjack tuna, the majority of our training effort was invested in deep bottom fishing methods using electric and mechanical winch reels and hand lines (see Appendix II for description of fishing methods). An evaluation of the fishermen trained and their suitability to be recipients of loans for boats and equipment will be forwarded separately to the Director of Agriculture. 7. In addition to Mr Pale Taumaia, eight fishermen from the Fisheries Department, Apia, were attached to the Project at various times to gain experience with the equipment and techniques and to provide a pool of more experienced fishermen to assist in fishing on both the Project boats and the 28 ft. government vessel. 1 Boats and Equipment 8. The two 24 ft. boats shipped from the New Hebrides were used throughout the period in Asau. One was a New Zealand-built aluminium boat driven by a 70 h.p. (56 h.p. continuous) Nissan Datsun diesel engine and a 1011 jet unit. Although a satisfactory platform for bottom fishing it was underpowered, the jet was ineffecient and its slow speed was a major limitation in surface fishing for tuna, marlin, dolphin fish etc., and when extensive running to the fishing ground was required. The other vessel was a Pago Pago-built plywood Oregon dory driven by a 135 h.p. Lees Marine Ford Falcon petrol engine and a Hamilton 750 jet unit. 9. In early October a second Pago Pago plywood boat was delivered. This boat was originally scheduled to be completed in March to coincide with the team's arrival in Western Samoa, in order to make a three-boat operation. This craft represented the last of the line of about 20 Pago Pago-built dories which had evolved through petrol-driven inboard/outboard drives, jet drive units to this 70 h. (56 h.p. continuous) Chrysler-Nissan diesel engine powered boat with conventional shaft and propellor drive. To offset the absence of one vessel due to the late delivery of the Pago boat, one of the newly constructed 28 ft. FAO designed fishing craft from Apia, with a Fisheries Department crew, was attached to the Project for approximately one-third of the Project time in Asau. 10. It was decided to have built in Apia a modified FAO design 28 ft. craft (see figure 1)* with a deck house, self-draining deck and an inboard 33 h.p. Perkins diesel engine. The vessel was Completed a few days prior to the Project departure. The SPC fleet now numbers four fishing vessels.