Fisheries of the Pacific Islands: Regional and National Information
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RAP PUBLICATION 2011/03 Fisheries of the Pacific Islands Regional and national information vi RAP PUBLICATION 2011/03 Fisheries of the Pacific Islands Regional and national information Robert Gillett FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS REGIONAL OFFICE FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC BANGKOK, 2011 i The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. The views expressed in this information product are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of FAO. ISBN 978-92-5-106792-5 All rights reserved. FAO encourages reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product. Non-commercial uses will be authorized free of charge, upon request. Reproduction for resale or other commercial purposes, including educational purposes, may incur fees. Applications for permission to reproduce or disseminate FAO copyright materials, and all other queries concerning rights and licences, should be addressed by e-mail to [email protected] or to the Chief, Publishing Policy and Support Branch, Office of Knowledge Exchange, Research and Extension, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy. © FAO 2011 For copies please write to: The Senior Fishery Officer FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific Maliwan Mansion, 39 Phra Athit Road Bangkok 10200 THAILAND Tel: (+66) 2 697 4000 Fax: (+66) 2 697 4445 E-mail: [email protected] For bibliographic purposes, please reference this publication as: Gillett, R. (2011). Fisheries of the Pacific Islands: Regional and national information. FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand. RAP Publication 2011/03, 279 pages. ii FOREWORD The Pacific Island region consists of fourteen independent countries and eight territories located in the western and central Pacific Ocean. These comprise about 200 high islands and some 2 500 low islands and atolls. Coastal fishing is of fundamental importance in the Pacific Islands. Much of the region’s nutrition, welfare, culture, employment, and recreation are based on the living resources in the zone between the shoreline and the outer reefs. The continuation of current lifestyles, the opportunities for future development and food security are all highly dependent on coastal fisheries resources. Although dwarfed in both volume and value by the offshore tuna fisheries, the Pacific Island fisheries that are based on coastal resources provide most of the non-imported fish supplies to the region. Coastal fisheries harvest a very diverse range of finfish, invertebrates and algae. Unlike the tuna fishery, virtually all the coastal catch is undertaken by Pacific Islanders themselves, with very little access by foreign fishing vessels. In contrast to the coastal fisheries, offshore fishing is dominated by large industrial-scale fishing vessels. Approximately 1 500 of these vessels operate in the EEZs of Pacific Island countries, mainly using purse seine, longline, and pole-and-line gear to catch tuna. There are about 327 vessels operated by national operations and approximately 1 200 foreign-based vessels operating in the waters of Pacific Island countries. It is important to note that the license fees paid to Pacific Island countries by these foreign- based vessels is substantial, and in some countries represents the major source of government revenue. This publication presents information on coastal and offshore fisheries in the region. The information is broken down into resource categories, the major types of fishing, the important species, the status of those resources, and the fisheries management that occurs. The document also provides supplementary sectoral and governance related information on the fisheries in the 14 independent Pacific Island countries. Statistics and information are of variable quality in the region. This publication attempts a significant effort to consolidate a variety of sources into a single coherent review. As such it is a timely contribution to our general understanding of the status of the fisheries in the Pacific Islands. I would like to thank the staff of the national fisheries agencies, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), FAO fisheries colleagues and the other fishery professionals who have contributed to this work, and through their activities are promoting and supporting fisheries information and statistical collection in the Pacific Islands region. Hiroyuki Konuma Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific iii Abstract The Pacific Island region consists of fourteen independent countries and eight territories located in the western and central Pacific Ocean. In this area there are about 200 high islands and some 2 500 low islands and atolls. The main categories of marine fishing in the area are: – Offshore fishing. This is undertaken mainly by large industrial-scale fishing vessels. Approximately 1 500 of these vessels operate in the EEZs of Pacific Island countries, mainly using purse seine, longline, and pole-and-line gear to catch tuna. – Coastal fishing. This can be divided into three categories: (1) Small-scale commercial fishing (also referred to as “artisanal”) which can be further sub-divided into those supplying domestic markets, and those producing export commodities; (2) Subsistence fisheries, which support rural economies and are extremely important to the region’s nutrition and food security; and (3) The industrial-scale shrimp fisheries, which in the region only occur in Papua New Guinea. The region’s fishery resources can be broadly split into two main categories: oceanic, and coastal or inshore. Oceanic resources include tunas, billfish and allied species. They are characterized by an open-water pelagic habitat, potentially extensive individual movements. Coastal or inshore resources include a wide range of finfish and invertebrates. They are characterized by their shallow water habitats or demersal life-styles, and restriction of individual movements to coastal areas. This paper discusses these resource categories. Information is provided on the major types of fishing, the important species, the status of those resources, and the fisheries management that occurs. The report also provides information on the fisheries in the 14 independent Pacific Island countries in following categories: – General geographic and economic data – Fisheries data – Fishery sector structure – Post-harvest use – Fishery sector performance – Fishery sector development – Fishery sector institutions – General legal framework Acknowledgements Several individuals collaborated to produce this document. In FAO these included Masanami Izumi, Jan Orzeszko, Simon Funge-Smith, Jacek Majkowski, Anna Maria Rossi-Taddei, Ulf Wijkstrom, Sachiko Tsuji, and Marc Taconet. In the Pacific Islands region Lindsay Chapman and Mike Batty both of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community were very supportive. SPC is to be thanked for providing the country maps. Garry Preston and Mike McCoy, two Pacific Island fishery specialists, reviewed the manuscript and provided corrections and helpful suggestions. Preparation of this document The regional information section was prepared under the direction of Jacek Majkowski of FAO’s Fisheries Management and Conservation Service. The information on national fisheries was compiled as part of a global series of fishery country profiles under the direction of Marc Taconet of FAO’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Information and Statistics Service. The author is Robert Gillett, a fisheries specialist based in Fiji. iv Table of Contents Page Foreword ......................................................................................................................................................................... iii Abstract ............................................................................................................................................................................ iv Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................................... iv Preparation of this document .............................................................................................................................. iv Abbreviations................................................................................................................................................................ vii Regional information ................................................................................................................................................ 1 The Pacific Islands region ................................................................................................................................. 1 Fishery statistics in the region ........................................................................................................................ 3 Main categories of fisheries in the region.................................................................................................