FAO Fisheries Department

FAO Fisheries Circular No. 907 FIP/C907

Rome, 1997

ISSN 0429-9329

FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC: SITUATION AND OUTLOOK IN 1996
by
Fisheries Department
FAO, Rome, Italy

PREPARATION OF THIS DOCUMENT

This document was drafted as part of the Fisheries Department's preparations for the 1995 State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture. The paper summarizes pertinent information relating to fisheries issues and trends in the South Pacific and provides an outlook for these issues.

 

FAO Fisheries Department

Fisheries and Aquaculture in the South Pacific: Situation and Outlook 1996.

FAO Fisheries Circular. No. 907. Rome. FAO.1996. 41p.

 ABSTRACT

This paper provides a summary of the fisheries situation in the South Pacific. Section A of the paper discusses the role of fisheries in the economy and society of the region, situations and trends within the fisheries sector and the prevailing policy and institutional framework. In Section B important technical and policy issues are addressed, including fish consumption and nutrition, institutional strengthening and capacity building, regional fisheries cooperation and relations with distant-water fishing nations, problems facing fishery management organizations and arrangements, traditional fisheries management practice, development and strengthening of national fishing and processing industries, improved international marketing for fish and fisheries products, fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance, fishing on the high seas, management of excess fishing capacity, discards, applied fisheries research and technology transfer, promotion of sustainable aquaculture, national and regional development assistance for the fisheries sector, rehabilitation of inshore fisheries and environmental concerns. Finally, Section C of the paper provides an outlook for the issues reviewed in the preceding section.

 

This circular was prepared by: David J. Doulman, Senior Fishery Liaison Officer, International Institutions and Liaison Service (FIPL) and leader, FAO interdepartmental taskforce for the region; D.M. Bartley, Fishery Resources Officer (Genetic Conservation), Inland Water Resources and Aquaculture Service (FIRI), Fishery Resources Division; D.G. James, Senior Fishery Industry Officer (Technology), Fish Utilization and Marketing Service (FIIU), Fishery Industries Division; H. Josupeit, Fishery Industry Officer, Fish Utilization and Marketing Service (FIIU), Fishery Industries Division; J. Majkowski, Fishery Resources Officer, Marine Resources Service (FIRM), Fishery Resources Division; M. Pedini, Senior Adviser (Aquaculture Development), Inland Water Resources and Aquaculture Service (FIRI), Fishery Resources Division; A.R. Smith, Fishery Industry Officer (Gear), Fishing Technology Service (FITT), Fishery Industries Division. A contribution from Dr. T. Adams, Resource Assessment and Management Section, Coastal Fisheries Programme of the South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia, is acknowledged for the resource and management sections.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION A. CURRENT FISHERIES SITUATION
Part 1. The role of fisheries in the economy and society
1.1 Introduction
1.2 The role of fisheries in the economy
1.3 The role of fisheries in world fisheries
Part 2. The fisheries sector: Situation and trends
2.1 Marine fisheries
2.2 Inland fisheries
2.3 Aquaculture
2.4 Fish utilization, distribution and marketing
2.5 Domestic consumption and nutrition
2.6 International trade of fishery products
2.7 Technology and infrastructure
2.8 Investments in the fishery sector
Part 3. Policy and institutional framework
3.1 Macroeconomic and fisheries sector policies
3.2 Current national policies for fisheries conservation and management
3.3 Regional fisheries organizations and arrangements
3.4 National fisheries administrations
3.5 Fisheries research and training
3.6 Economic and technical cooperation in fisheries
SECTION B. ISSUES
4.1 National institutional strenghtening and capacity building
4.2 Regional fisheries cooperation and relations with DWFNs
4.3 Problems facing fishery management organizations and arrangements
4.4 Traditional fisheries management practice
4.5 Improved international marketing for fish and fisheries products
4.6 Fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance
4.7 Fishing on the high seas
4.8 Management of excess fishing capacity
4.9 Discards
4.10 Promotion of sustainable aquaculture
4.11 National and regional development assistance for the fisheries sector
4.12 Enhancement and rehabilitation of inshore fisheries
4.13 Environmental concerns
SECTION C. OUTLOOK
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. Recent annual exports of major coastal fisheries and aquaculture commodities from the Pacific islands
Table 2. Domestic coastal fisheries production
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Total marine and inland production from capture fisheries and aquaculture by year with a division for regions
Figure 2. Total production of the States and territories of the South Pacific region by year with divisions for marine, inland and for some recent years also for capture fisheries and aquaculture
Figure 3. Total production of States and territories of the South Pacific region by year with a division for different species
Figure 4. Total production of States and territories of the South PAcific region by year with a division for fishing countries
Figure 5. Total production of States and territories of the South Pacific by year with a division for FAO's fishing areas
Figure 6. Tuna catches by fishing method and year in the South Pacific Commission statistical area
Figure 7. Distributiuon of purse seine fishing effort in the South Pacific Commission statistical area
Figure 8. Tuna catches by States and territories in the South Pacific Commission statistical area for 1994
Figure 9. Tuna catches by species in the South Pacific Commission statistical area
Figure 10. Exports of bêche-de-mer (in dry weigh) by year from New Caledonia
Figure 11. Exports of trochus shell by year from Palau