ISSN 0248-076X Newsletter IN THIS ISSUE SPC ACTIVITIES Page 2 NEWS FROM IN AND AROUND THE REGION Page 11 ABSTRACT Page 15 MILKFISH CAPTURE ON CHRISTMAS Page 16 ISLAND. KIRIBATI by Gl. Preston TRAINING AND EDUCATIONAL Page 19 MATERIAL ON MARINE ENGINES byM. Izumi The milkfish, Chanos chanos Readers already familiar with the SPC Fisheries Newsletter will realise that this issue appears with a revised front page. We hope you like it and look forward to your comments. L*• " South Pacific Commission Prepared by Jean-Paul Gaudechoux, Fisheries Information Officer SPC ACTIVITIES REGIONAL FISHERIES TRAINING PROJECT (RFTP) The SPC Fisheries Training March and will end on 24 April. been running for the last two Associate, Michel Blanc, spent The workshop continues the years.. Michel has been working the first weeks of January training programme's empha­ to organise a report-writing making final arrangements for sis on 'train the trainers' and will skills course through distance the annual Nelson Polytechnic be followed by in-country education and is hopeful that a Fisheries Officers course which workshops for local extension programme for this will be opened in Nelson on 27 January officers and fishermen, con­ operational by mid-year. with 12 participants from ducted by participants in the around the region. Michel's task present course. This ICOD- Attention has also been given to was made considerably easier funded programme is likely to the possibility of developing a this year by having the ar­ continue for most of 1992. Certificate-in-Fisheries Pro­ rangements in Nelson co-ordi­ gramme and options for this nated by Alastair Robertson, In mid-April, the Training will be prepared for discussion who is now Head of School in Project will host a training at this year's Regional Technical Nelson after retiring in March workshop at SPC headquarters Meeting on Fisheries (RTMF). 1991 from his post as Fisheries in Noumea. This workshop Input from the University of the Education and Training Ad­ involves most Pacific Island South Pacific, the New Zealand viser with SPC. fisheries training institutions School of Fishing, the Austra­ and is being run by the Western lian Maritime College and re­ The practical module for this Pacific Fisheries Consultative gional institutions has been year's course will be held m Committee (WPFCC) with drafted into a discussion paper Vanuatu, based at the excellent funding support from CID A which will shortly be circulated new facilities of the Fisheries and the French Government. to Fisheries Divisions. Training Centre on Santo. SPC The workshop includes a Masterfisherman Paxton number of ASEAN training and The Training Project is looking Wellington has been busy in education institutions and is forward to a busy and inter­ Santo assisting with the de­ primarily concerned with pro­ esting year and is always keen ployment of FADs which moting greater co-operation to receive country input, be it should make for some exciting between the two regions in positive or negative. It is likely fishing for participants. fisheries training and educa­ that the workshop at this year's tion. RTMF will concentrate on The RFTP is now fully settled in training matters, so participants Noumea and, with the arrival of Other Project activities for the and interested persons will Hugh Walton, the new Fisher­ near future include the have plenty of opportunity to ies Education and Training completion of the long awaited direct the on-going activity of Adviser, is back at full strength training Directory, follow up to the project. and preparing for a busy year. the Human Resources Study, Hugh comes to the SPC from a and evaluation of the extension (Contributor: H. Walton) varied background in com­ training programme that has mercial fishing, fisheries re­ TO> search, training and education, and more recently the FAO Re­ gional Fishery Support Programme, where he worked as a programme officer with Bob Gillett. A Chilled Fish Post-harvest Workshop, run in conjunction with the SPC Fish Handling and Processing Project, com­ menced in Suva, Fiji on 16 SPC Fisheries Newsletter #60 SPC ACTIVITIES • INSHORE FISHERIES RESEARCH PROJECT Beche-de-mer poster for Papua New Guinea In support of the Papua New The poster will be principally the poster will mainly feature Guinea Department of Fisheries aimed at fisheries inspectors photographs of the various and Marine Resources' research and other fisheries officers, and types of finished product, al­ work on beche-de-mer, being is intended to help them iden­ though for each species treated carried out by Paul Lokani at tify beche-de-mer correctly pictures of the live or fresh ani­ the Kavieng Fisheries Labora­ down to species level, in order mal will also be shown. As well tory, SPC is providing technical to improve export statistics on as distinguishing the various and financial support for the this group of animals. At the beche-de-mer types, the poster preparation of a poster on present time, there is much will also show examples of dif­ beche-de-mer species. mixing and most beche-de-mer ferences in quality to help in­ exports are not classified by spectors check on grading and Although compiled in response species. This makes it difficult on the approximate relative to a request from PNG, the final for fisheries research staff, who values of export consignments. version of the poster is likely to are expected to provide advice be of interest to fisheries offic­ to the government on manage­ Earlier in the year Detlef ers, traders and those involved ment of the fishery, to under­ Blumel, Graphic Arts Officer at in marine resource education in stand how heavily the various SPC's Regional Media Centre in all Pacific Island countries, es­ different sea cucumber species Suva, Fiji, spent some time pecially those with large beche- are being exploited. working with SPC scientist de-mer fisheries. Garry Preston, visiting beche- Because inspection of beche-de- de-mer traders in Fiji to pho­ mer happens after processing, tograph as many types and grades of beche-de-mer as possible. These were pasted up into a mock-up and forwarded to Papua New Guinea for comment. Feedback from PNG will be incorporated in the final version of the poster, which is expected to appear early in 1992. Thelenota ananas (Contributor: G.L. Preston) Research on pearl oysters SPC Senior Inshore Fisheries research results to Pacific Island sity, Townsville (Coordinating Scientist Garry Preston has been countries. The Phase 1 project is organisation); the Australian working with Australian and to be submitted for funding Institute of Marine Science, Pacific Island marine scientists consideration to the Australian Townsville; the Queensland in the development of a major Centre for International Agri­ Department of Primary Indus­ three-year research programme cultural Research (ACIAR). tries; the South Pacific Com­ aimed at investigating specific mission; the Ministry of Marine research questions on the biol­ The project is still under devel­ ogy and culture of the black- opment, but at present Phase 1 lipped pearl oyster Pinctada consists of four components, to margaritifera. The Pacific Island be carried out by three different Pearl Oyster Resource Devel­ Australian institutions working opment Project is expected to in collaboration with interested form Phase 1 of a two-part ac­ Pacific Island governments and tivity, the second phase of agencies. Collaborating institu­ which will focus on extension of tions are: James Cook Univer- SPC Fisheries Newsletter #60 SPC ACTIVITIES Resources, Cook Islands; and and early life history of pearl will involve surgical and histo-1 the Ministry of Natural Re­ oysters, and investigation of the logical studies of pearl seeding source Development, Kiribati. biological and technical char­ techniques and of the pearl: Other countries ate likely to join acteristics of low-key culture formation process, in order to in as the project develops. technologies that may be ap­ identify means of iricreasirigthe plicable to pearl oysters. proportion of gem-quality The overall aims of the project pearls produced by seeding are: — Identify and describe commonoperations . Specific areas of pathogens, diseases and para~investigatio n will be: possible — to support Pacific Island sites present in pearl oysters improvements in surgical countries' attempts to de­ and recommend practices to techniques used during velop and increase fisheries minimise disease outbreaks ihnucleatioh (stress reduction, and aquacultuf e activities anaesthetics, sterile technique, based on pearl oysters; Using samples collected by a etc.) that will lead to fewer re­ variety of means, including jected nuclei and deformed ^-' to investigate methods of pearl oyster surveys carried out pearls; to examine the histo­ restocking, hatchery pro­ by SPC and national fisheries logical process of pearl forma­ duction and husbandry of agencies, Drs John Norton and tion and identify characters of these organisms suited to Ian Anderson of the Oohooriba the pearl-sac responsible for application in the Pacific Is­ Veterinary Laboratory of QDPI variations in quality; and to lands; will conduct pathological and develop mantle'tissue culture veterinary examination of pearl lines that could ultimately be —-to improve understahdirig of oyster populations. Specific used as a superior alternative to the population biology, ge­ aims are to document the oc­ donor oyster mantle tissue as a netics, pathology and his­ currence and distribution of basis for pearl-sac