STATUS OF INSHORE

FISHERIES IN PACIFIC

ISLAND COUNTRIES

Prof Leon Zann

Head, School of Marine studies

University of the South Pacific

Contents

1. Introduction: Importance of inshore

fisheries, case studies Fiji, Samoa

2. Inshore habitats

3. Inshore fisheries (production, methods

etc)

4. Status

5. Issues & threats

6. Management challenges

•Fish/shellfish traditional protein staples

•Fishing traditionally of great cultural importance (ie Fiji, Samoa, Kiribati maritime fishing culture)

•Traditional ownership of land/sea by tribe/clans (eg Fiji 410 fishing grounds - i qoliqoli)

•High fish consumption (eg Fiji, Samoa 40 kg/person/yr to Kiribati 150 kg/pers/yr)

•Subsistence landings high (eg Fiji 20,000 mt/yr)

•Artisanal (small-scale commercial) landings high (eg Fiji: 24,000 mt/yr (US$60 m/yr)

1. IMPORTANCE OF INSHORE

FISHERIES

Islands: generally

small, limited

terrestrial resources

High islands, high

rainfall: strong

connectivity land>sea

Coral reefs: shallow, inshore

highly productive but

Ecologically vulnerable

Difficulties in sustainable fisheries

Mangroves, seagrass:

Highly productive,

Fish nursery habitat

Outer reef slopes: limited shelf,

Steep slope, limited productivity

2. INSHORE HABITATS

(Source: R Kelly, ACRS)

The Red Emperor spends different stages of its life cycle

utilising different habitats

Ecosystem approaches

Important …

Catchmentscatchments

wetlands

lagoonpatch

reefs

Barrier

reefs

Outer reef slope

Case study … Fiji’s marine environment

One of largest PICs

884 islands and islets

130 inhabited

Land area: 18,500 sq km

Shelf area: 19,500 sq km

Coastline: 4,637 km

Mangrove area: 385 sq km

Reef area: 10,020 sq km

Reef types: fringing, platform,

barrier, atoll

EEZ area: 1.29 million sq km

3. Inshore fisheries … case study Fiji

Subsistence fisheries

Demand: >800 villages (40% of Fijian population)

Landings: approx (guess) 18,000 t/yr (43% total landings)

Artisanal fisheries (market):

Demand: cash economy /urban supply

Landings: 11,000 mt/yr (US$26m/yr) (25% total landings)

Composition: finfish: 4,000 t/yr; Inverts: 4,450 t/yr

1185 licensed fishermen

840 registered vessels

(cf Industrial fisheries (offshore)

longline 12,000 t/yr)

Total: 2.5% GDP

Inshore fisheries (target,

methods)

Coral reef fisheries multi-species (200-300 spp? Fish, invertebrates), different habitats, life histories etc many fishing techniques

Finfish: Lethrinidae (snappers), Serranidae (cods), Carangidae (trevallies), Lutjanidae , Mugilidae (mullet), Scrombidae (mackerel), Scaridae (parrotfish)

Invertebrates: bivalves, sea cucumbers, crustaceans (crabs, prawns and lobsters), octopus.

Fishing methods: hand-lining, gill-netting (reef gleaning, skin diving, fish traps, fish fences, seine nets, hand nets, fish drives, spears, poisonous plants etc)

4. STATUS OF PIC INSHORE

FISHERIES

Generally poorly known: Limited research, stock assessment, landings data. However, considerable anecdotal data from Fisheries Depts and fishers of declining catches of many species. eg

Fiji Fisheries Department (ADB 2005) (‘guess’)timates:

70 qoliqolis´ over-exploited,

250 fully developed

90 could sustain more fishing pressure.

Samoa Fisheries: Dept (FAO) inshore landings declines began to decline in 1970s. By 1990s, collapses of some stocks.

Declines in reef fish stocks …

Major declines in reef fish stocks

Major declines (collapses):

Mass schooling species such as

Mullet (Mugulidae spp) eg Samoa 1980s, 1990s);

Tongatapu (late 1970s); parts of Fiji (eg Vulaga)

Mackeral scad (Selar) eg Samoa 1980s)

Predators such as

Large Coral cods (Serranidae spp), snappers &

emperor (Lethrinids, Lutjanids)

Humphead wrass (Cheilinus)

Sharks

Declining

invertebrates …

Declining invertebrates …

Giant clams (Hippopus, Tridacna gigas,

derasa, squamosa extirpated in many

countries; declined in rest)

Beche-de-mer (Holothuria spp): over-

harvested in most PICs; reduced to

fraction of original biomass. (eg Fiji,

Solomons)

Trochus (Trochus niloticus): over-

harvested most countries

4. MAJOR ISSUES &

THREATS

Over-fishing (decline clams, trochus, beche-de-mer, some reef fish)

Loss of inshore habitat, clearing of mangroves (agriculture, urban)

Degradation of coral reefs (Crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks, Coral bleaching (massive event 2000), Elevated sediments & nutrients from changing land uses)

Ecosystem changes from eutrophication & over-fishing of herbivores an top carnivores

Increasing demand (incr human pops)

LACK OF KNOWLEDGE

5. MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES IN PIC INSHORE FISHERIES

• Subsistence/dietary importance to communities• Multi-species fisheries • Limited biological information• Limited national capacity in fisheries science & management (decline of Fisheries Depts, poor governance)• Limited fisheries information, stock assessment, monitoring• Importance of environment, fisheries habitat• Community marine tenure, locally-based management

New approaches

to

fisheries management

required in

Pacific Islands Countries