STATUS OF INSHORE FISHERIES IN PACIFIC ISLAND COUNTRIES Prof Leon Zann Head, School of Marine studies University of the South Pacific
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.
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 …
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