No.25 April - June 1983

A Message to Readers

This is the second issue of the SPC Fisheries Newsletter to appear in a revised format, which, in addition to the more substantial articles listed below, tries to incorporate current information from around the region - project reports, news and views. To enable us to present timely information, the editors welcome readers to submit local news clippings, articles, activity summaries or comments for inclusion.

Contents

(1) SPC Activities Page 2

(2) News From Around the Region Page 6

(3) April 1983 Progress Report on the Green Mussel Culture Project in Western Samoa by L. Bell and J. Albert. Page 12

( 4 ) A Glossary of Japanese Fishing Terms by R.D. Gillett Page 17

(5) Airshipping of Fresh Fish from American Samoa to Hawaiian Page 22 Markets by R.M. Howell

SPC 15th Annual Regional Technical Meeting on Fisheries, 1st-5th August 1983

This year's meeting, formally announced in SPC Savingram 17/83, promises to be of considerable significance to fisheries development in the region. Several items of particular importance are included in the draft agenda, including the discussion of the future requirements for conservation of the regions tuna resources, and the role of regional organisations in this field. The meeting of the South Pacific commission's Planning and Evaluation Committee, held in May, requested the ~egional Technical Meeting on Fisheries to consider alternatives for the continuation or otherwise of the activities of the SPC Tuna and Billfish Assessment Programme, in their present or a modified form, with a view to making detailed and specific recommendations for consideration by the 23rd South Pacific Conference.

The repor t of the Commission's recent design s tudy of f i s h aggregation devices w i l l a l so be presented , together with d e t a i l s of the Deep Sea Fisher ies Development p r o j e c t ' s work i n developing appropr ia te small-scale f i sh ing techniques to harvest the aggregat ions of f i s h around FADS. Addit ional ly, a one-day workshop on appropr ia te small-scale f i s h handling and processing techniques i s planned. This w i l l include p r a c t i c a l demonstrations and p resen ta t ions by t h e SPC master fishermen, a l l t h ree of whom w i l l be present , and con t r ibu t ions from the UK Tropical Development and Research I n s t i t u t e and FAO. Representat ives a re expected from most P a c i f i c Is land f i s h e r i e s departments, and a wide range of s c i e n t i f i c and t echn ica l i n s t i t u t e s , regional o rgan i sa t ions and r ep resen ta t ives of the f i sh ing industry.

SPC ACTIVITIES

Deep Sea F i s h e r i e s Development P ro jec t Notes

Cyclone r e l i e f work i n F i j i

As announced i n the l a s t news le t t e r , SPC masterfishermen Pale Taumaia and Lindsay Chapman were both assigned t o jo in a UNDP-sponsored cyclone r e l i e f p r o j e c t aimed a t r e h a b i l i t a t i n g f i s h e r i e s i n those c o a s t a l a reas of F i j i s eve re ly damaged by cyclones Oscar and Sarah e a r l i e r t h i s year. The two masterfishermen commenced work i n l a t e March and e a r l y Apr i l r e spec t ive ly , Pale i n t h e i s l a n d s of V i t i Levu's west coast and Lindsay i n the i s l ands and coas t a l a r e a s to t h e south and e a s t , i n an in tegra ted work programme combining government f i sh ing boa t s , c o l l e c t i o n vesse ls of the National Marketing Author i ty , and loca l f i sh ing groups, as wel l as indiv idual v i l l a g e fishermen. The master fishermen provided the guidance to enable and encourage v i l l a g e r s to f i s h i n t e n s i v e l y f o r the dura t ion of the teams v i s i t , concentrat ing where p o s s i b l e on the deep-bottom resource,and a l s o a s s i s t e d i n t h e evaluat ion of cyclone d i s r u p t i o n t o l o c a l f i s h i n g a c t i v i t i e s . S taf f of the co l l ec t ion vesse l purchased t h e production surp lus to l o c a l requirements, which was very s u b s t a n t i a l i n most cases , and thus channelled much needed cash fo r r e c o n s t r u c t i o n i n t o the l o c a l v i l l a g e economies. The provision by UNDP of f u e l and f i s h i n g gear made the fishermen's involvement i n t h e pro jec t f i n a n c i a l l y a t t r a c t i v e , and the work o v e r a l l generated some 26 tonnes of f i s h , valued a t about F$30,000.

SPC involvement was short-term a s intended, and mainly d i rec ted towards g e t t i n g t h e pro jec t o f f the ground. Pa le l e f t F i j i on May 1 s t t o commence work i n a new p ro jec t v i s i t t o Palau, while Lindsay returned to Vanuatu on May 8th t o resume h i s i n t e r rup ted work schedule there .

Cook I s l a n d s

Master fisherman Paul Mead moved t o t h e Cook I s l ands i n February t o commence a pro jec t v i s i t aimed a t developing appropr ia te small-scale f i sh ing techniques , p a r t i c u l a r l y f o r the ha rves t ing of f i s h concentrat ions assoc ia ted wi th f i s h aggregat ion devices. I n some ways the pro jec t w i l l continue the gear development work commenced during Pau l ' s preceding v i s i t to Niue, although the d i f f e r e n t environmental condi t ions p reva i l ing i n the Cooks w i l l probably lead to q u i t e d i f f e r e n t r e s u l t s . One aspec t common t o both loca t ions has been the l a c k of adequate suppl ies of s u i t a b l e b a i t for v e r t i c a l longlining and ika - sh ib i f i sh ing t r i a l s , and i t has proved necessary to a r range a shipment of s a u r y from American Samoa to overcome t h i s problem i n the s h o r t term. Since i t s

a r r i v a l Paul has been experimenting with both techniques, but r e s u l t s have been mixed. Large tunas have been taken only inf requent ly on t h e FADS, d e s p i t e an abundance of small tunas i n su r face schools.

Pr ior to the a r r i v a l of t h e consignment of saury, an extended period of b a i t shortage enabled Paul t o spend some time i n deep bottom f i s h i n g , and he has obtained good catches by f i s h i n g while d r i f t i n g with the c u r r e n t us ing a parachute anchor. Steep dropoffs i n many a reas around Rarotonga make bottom-anchoring d i f f i c u l t , while cu r ren t s which o f t en p a r a l l e l the r e e f , and l i g h t winds, a r e amenable to the d r i f t - f i s h i n g technique.

Palau

Master fisherman Pale Taumaia a r r ived i n Koror, Pa lau , on May 3rd and spent the f i r s t few weeks of h i s s t a y t r a i n i n g a government demonstration team i n deep-bottom f i sh ing techniques i n t h a t a rea . Pa le subsequently moved to P e l i l e u , i n the south, to t r a i n members of a f i sh ing coopera t ive who ope ra t e one of Pa lau ' s 11 35-foot f i b r e g l a s s Yanmar f i sh ing boats ( see SPC F i she r i e s Newsletter No.24). Two separa te crews went through the t r a i n i n g programme, and took some good ca tches , including one overnight t o t a l of 468 kg. P a l e ' s two weeks i n p e l i l e u saw the production of over 1,000 kg of f i s h and generated a p r o f i t for t h e vesse l of US$637.84. This was shared among the t r a i n e e s according to p a r t i c i p a t i o n , each crewman rece iv ing US$9.52 per overnight t r i p .

Pale i s now back i n Koror working with a l o c a l coopera t ive , and r e p o r t s t h a t he i s impressed with the smooth way i n which the p ro jec t has so f a r been coordinated and run. As a small f i s h i n g incen t ive , he has o f fe red a p r i z e of US$50 fo r the biggest E t e l i s carbunculus ( shor t - t a i l ed red snapper) caught during h i s s tay . The cu r ren t front-runner weighed i n a t 46 lb s (21.8 kg), but the competition i s f a r from closed ye t .

Pale w i l l be v i s i t i n g seve ra l a reas i n Palau i n t h e coming months a s weather and other condit ions permit, conducting h i s t r a i n i n g programme with o the r f i sh ing groups.

Vanuatu

Master fisherman Lindsay Chapman returned to Vanuatu t o complete the p r o j e c t ' s v i s i t there , a f t e r h i s b r i e f assignment to work i n F i j i . P r i o r to t h e F i j i v i s i t , Lindsay was car ry ing out experimental work on f i s h aggregat ion devices near Port Vi la , which included the s e t t i n g of su r face g i l l n e t s fo r pelagic schooling f i s h , and experimentation with d i f f e r e n t t r o l l i n g r i g s .

From now on, however, ~ i n d s a y ' s work w i l l involve members of f i sh ing groups operat ing i n more remote l o c a l i t i e s wi th in the framework of the Vanuatu ~ i s h e r i e s ' ~ e p a r t m e n t ' s v i l l a g e f i s h e r i e s development p ro jec t . A number of commercial f i sh ing ventures have been e s t ab l i shed with government a s s i s t ance , and Lindsay w i l l v i s i t s eve ra l of them, o f f e r i n g r e f r e s h e r t r a i n i n g where appropr ia te and helping to i d e n t i f y and overcome any t e c h n i c a l problems the groups may have.

Lindsay r e p o r t s t h a t a d i f f i c u l t y many groups face i s t h a t of acquir ing enough b a i t . Fishing groups f r equen t ly need t o spend t i m e c o l l e c t i n g reef f i s h o r octopus and o the r inve r t eb ra t e s , which i n any case a re i n f e r i o r to the p re fe r r ed b a i t , f resh sk ip jack or yel lowfin tuna. The ~ i s h e r i e s Department hopes to combat t h i s problem i n t h e long term by i n s t a l l i n g FADS i n s t r a t e g i c l o c t i o n s , and i n t h e s h o r t term have been a s s i s t i n g the groups by a i r f r e i g h t i n g b a i t from P o r t Vila when poss ib le .

Tuna And B i l l f i s h Assessment Programme

During t h i s q u a r t e r , the work of the programme has been concentrated on making t h e r eg iona l s t a t i s t i c a l database a s comprehensive a s poss ib le , and i n f i n a l i s i n g numerous Programme publ ica t ions . Input to the s t a t i s t i c a l database i s now being received from many of the coun t r i e s of the region and na t iona l summaries of t h i s da t a have been prepared and d i s t r i b u t e d to count r ies on reques t . Programme s c i e n t i s t s a r e op t imis t i c t h a t the regional compilation of tuna ca tch and e f f o r t f igures by one degree square by month f o r the whole of t h e South P a c i f i c Commission area w i l l be f i n a l i s e d i n time for the f i r s t published summary t o be presented about the end of the year ,

Numerous f i n a l country r e p o r t s and t echn ica l papers have been published i n r ecen t months o r a r e present ly i n f i n a l d r a f t or manuscript form. Those published and d i s t r i b u t e d to da te a re :

a ) Technical Reports;

KEARNEY, R.E. (1982). Development and implementation of the Skipjack Survey and Assessment Programme.

KEARNEY, R.E. and R.D. GILLETT (1982). Methods used by the Skipjack Survey and Assessment Programme fo r tagging sk ip jack and o the r tuna.

ARGUE, A.W. (1982). Methods used by the Skipjack Survey and Assessment Programme fo r c o l l e c t i n g b i o l o g i c a l , tuna school and a n c i l l a r y da ta from a pole-and-line f i s h i n g vesse l .

HALLIER, J-P., R. E. KEARNEY and R. D. GILLETT (1982). Ba i t f i sh ing methods used by t h e Skipjack Survey and Assessment Programme and recommendations on b a i t f i s h i n g techniques fo r the t r o p i c a l Pac i f i c .

KLEIBER, P. and C.A. MAYNARD (1982). Data processing procedures of the Skip jack Survey and Assessment Programme.

A l l f i v e of the above r e p o r t s appeared i n Kearney R.E. (ed . ) 1982. Methods used by t h e South P a c i f i c Commission f o r the survey and assessment of skipjack and b a i t f i s h resources . Tuna and B i l l f i s h Assessment Programme Technical Report No.?, South p a c i f i c Commision, Noumea, New Caledonia.

b ) F i n a l Country Reports;

KEARNEY, R . E . (1982). An assessment of the sk ip jack and b a i t f i s h resources of F i j i . Skipjack Survey and Assessment Programme Fina l Country Report No.1, South P a c i f i c Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia.

LAWSON, T.A. and R.E. KEARNEY (1982). An assessment of t h e sk ip jack and b a i t f i s h resources of the Cook Is lands . Skipjack Survey and Assess- ment Programme F ina l Country Report No.2, South P a c i f i c Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia.

ARGUE, A.W. and R.E. KEARNEY (1982). An assessment of the sk ip jack and b a i t f i s h resources of Solomon Is lands . Skipjack Survey and Assessment Programme Fina l Country Report No.3, South P a c i f i c Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia.

ARGUE, A.W. and R.E. KEARNEY (1982). An assessment of the sk ip jack and b a i t f i s h resources of P i t c a i r n I s lands . Skipjack Survey and Assessment Programme Fina l Country Report No.4, South P a c i f i c Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia.

KLEIBER, P. and R.E. KEARNEY (1983). An assessment of the sk ip jack and b a i t f i s h resources of K i r i b a t i . Skipjack Survey and Assessment Programme Fina l Country Report No.5, South P a c i f i c Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia.

ARGUE, A.W. and R.E. KEARNEY (1983). An assessment of the sk ip j ack and b a i t f i s h resources of New Zealand. Skipjack Survey and Assessment Programme Fina l Country Report No.6, South P a c i f i c Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia.

GILLETT, R.D. and R.E. KEARNEY (1983). An assessment of t h e sk ip jack and b a i t f i s h resources of French Polynesia . Skipjack Survey and Assessment Programme F ina l Country Report Report.7, South P a c i f i c Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia.

Brief a b s t r a c t s of technica l r e p o r t s being produced by t h e Tuna Programme w i l l appear i n fu ture e d i t i o n s of the F i she r i e s Newsletter.

Fish Aggregation Device Design Study

Fisher ies Adviser Barney Smith and consul tan t Lt . Richard Boy of t h e

\ U.S. Department of Commerce' National Data Buoy Centre t r a v e l l e d together t o F i j i , Western Samoa, American Samoa, Cook I s l ands , and Vanuatu, and indiv idual ly v i s i t e d Palau, Hawaii, and French Polynesia , t o examine and evalua te FAD designs and cons t ruc t ion and deployment techniques c u r e n t l y i n use i n the Pac i f ic . During d iscuss ions with f i s h e r i e s o f f i c e r s and indus t ry r ep resen ta t ives , the consul tan t was ab le to pinpoint many p o t e n t i a l problem areas with cur rent FAD des igns , and to suggest changes i n des ign and component hardware which should increase the e f f e c t i v e l i f e of the p resen t genera t ion of FADs.

Fa i lure of t h e mooring l i n e i t s e l f has been t h e major cause of premature loss with FADs i n the region and t h e s tudy has concentrated on t h i s area of concern. This eva lua t ion of regional experience provided e s s e n t i a l background information fo r t h e development of an improved "generic" FAD design which should e l iminate o r minimise many of the i d e n t i f i a b l e sources of FAD l o s s , and increase the average l i f e expectancy t o double o r t r e b l e t h a t of most present designs, while economising on cons t ruc t ion cos t s . The f i n a l r e p o r t , which i s i n prepara t ion , w i l l be discussed i n d e t a i l a t t h e coming Regional Technical Meeting on F i she r i e s .

SPC/Nelson Polytechnic ~ i s h e r i e s Training Course Concludes

The SPC's 18 week P a c i f i c F i she r i e s Officer Training Course, held annual ly a t Nelson Polytechnic i n New Zealand, ended e a r l y i n June, with most s tuden t s r e tu rn ing d i r e c t l y home to resume t h e i r du t i e s . The course t u t o r s commented t h a t t h i s years in take of 15 p a r t i c i p a n t s from 12 count r ies was the bes t to da t e . Indiv idual s tuden t s showed a very d e f i n i t e awareness of t h e i r own t r a i n i n g requirements, and many commented on the value of the p r a c t i c a l i n s t r u c t i o n o f fe red by the course. Subjec ts of study ranged from welding t o net-mending, and t r a i n e e s l e f t t h e co l l ege with a bas ic knowledge of the many p r a c t i c a l s k i l l s e s s e n t i a l t o an all-round f i s h e r i e s worker.

NEWS FROM AROUND THE REGION

Third I n t e r n a t i o n a l A r t i f i c i a l Reef Conference Announced

The Third In t e rna t iona l A r t i f i c i a l Reef Conference, t o be held i n Southern C a l i f o r n i a from November 2nd-4th, 1983, has recent ly been announced i n a c i r c u l a r l e a f l e t from the conference organisers a t Occidental College, Los Angeles. The meeting aims to bring together f i s h e r i e s o f f i c e r s , engineers and b i o l o g i s t s t o d i scuss recent developments r e l a t i n g to a r t i f i c i a l r e e f s , f i s h aggregat ion devices and other f i s h a t t r a c t i o n systems. The t i t l e s of conference se s s ions a l r eady planned include: S i t i n g C r i t e r i a ; Design and Function; Recruitment and Successional Development; Aggregation Production; A r t i f i c i a l vs . Natural Reefs; Surface and Mid-water Aggregators; and Fishery Management Considerat ions. I n add i t ion to enabling these topics t o be examined simultaneously from the viewpoints of planners , designers and s c i e n t i s t s , the conference hopes to promote personal contac ts i n the f i e l d and encourage more coord ina t ion between f i s h aggregat ion p ro jec t s .

For f u r t h e r information, contact : D r J. S. Stephens , Occidental College, Department of Biology, 1600 Campus Road, Los Angeles, CA. 90041.

Trochus Hatchery F e a s i b i l i t y Study For Vanuatu

Pending aproval by the Government of Palau, M r Gerald Heslinga, of the Micronesian ~ a r i c u l t u r e Demonstration Centre, i s to be engaged l a t e r t h i s year by SPC a s a consul tan t to a s s i s t t h e Vanuatu government i n determining the f e a s i b i l i t y of e s t a b l i s h i n g a hatchery fo r Trochus n i l o t i c u s , t h e top s h e l l . T. n i l o t i c u s support a small but important commercial f i she ry i n Vanuatu, s h e l l s being bought by a l o c a l company fo r the manufacture of mother-of-pearl but ton blanks. I f f e a s i b l e , the hatchery w i l l be used t o breed and grow on Trochus juven i l e s t o a s i z e s u i t a b l e fo r seeding l o c a l r e e f s , and therefore supplementing recrui tment to the n a t u r a l populat ion. Tagging s t u d i e s on trochus conducted j o i n t l y by ORSTOM (Office de Recherche Scient i f ique e t Technique Outre-Mer) and F i she r i e s Department research workers have enabled lega l minimum s i z e l i m i t s to be e s t ab l i shed by the Vanuatu government as a means of ensuring maximum production. However, the F i she r i e s Department f e e l s t h a t y i e lds can be r a i s e d above n a t u r a l l e v e l s by seeding r e e f s and enhancing n a t u r a l recrui tment .

G i l l Ne t t ing T r i a l s Carr ied Out On FADS I n Samoa

The F i she r i e s Division of the Western Samoan Government's Department of Agr i cu l tu re has conducted g i l l n e t t i n g t r i a l s around f i s h aggregat ion devices, with encouraging i n i t i a l r e s u l t s . Chief F i she r i e s Off icer M r Alphonso P h i l l i p p , who planned and conducted the t r i a l s with h i s s t a f f , used 6-inch mesh 210130

white nylon mult i f i lament n e t t i n g , 1,700 meshes long and 120 deep. The n e t was hung on a lOmrn polypropylene head rope, w i t h 5.5" X 3" n e t f l o a t s a t 10 f o o t i n t e r v a l s and a 30 l b f l o a t a t each end. 14 l b s inke r s on the end ropes completed the arrangement. No foot rope or s inke r s were used along t h e length of the n e t , the bottom edge being l e f t completely f r e e . This arrangement ensures t h a t the net enfolds f i s h which run i n t o i t , r a t h e r than a c t i n g a s a springy b a r r i e r from which they can escape.

Due t o the frequency of t r o l l i n g opera t ions around most Samoan FADS, there were few oppor tuni t ies fo r t h e n e t to be set without i n t e r f e r i n g with t h e a c t i v i t i e s of professional fishermen, or r i s k of damage. Therefore, only t h r e e s e t s were made between January and June 1983. Of these the f i r s t two gave catches of 198 skipjack of 4-5 l b each, and 980 yel lowfin and sk ip jack , of 2-3 l b each respec t ive ly . The second s e t , which yielded t h e higher ca t ch , was accompanied by the used of l i v e mol l i e s , which s t a y close t o the head rope and lu re the tuna i n t o the ne t . Although a few tuna were caught, the t h i r d s e t was d is rupted by huge f i s h , poss ib ly mar l in or sharks, which t o r e the ne t near the middle. Some shark damage a l s o occurred near t h e end of t h e n e t on t h e second

1' s e t , and t h i s emphasised the importance of t iming the s e t s c o r r e c t l y and \ keeping the n e t in the water for as shor t a time a s poss ib le . The i d e a l s e t t i n g

time appears t o be about 1 hour before sun-up, with l i ve -ba i t seeding commencing when the tuna r i s e , about 15 minutes before sun-up.

Although the r e s u l t s obtained a r e by no means conclus ive , i t appears from these t r i a l s t h a t FAD-associated g i l l n e t t i n g i s a product ive technique worthy of fu r the r a t t e n t i o n .

Forum F i she r i e s Committee Meeting Held

The 8 th meeting of the Forum ~ i s h e r i e s Committee, t h e c o n t r o l l i n g body of the South Pac i f i c Forum F i she r i e s Agency, was he ld i n Apia, Western Samoa from 2nd t o 5th May, with r ep resen ta t ion from senior o f f i c e r s of many of the reg ion ' s governments, as well as FAO, SPC, and o t h e r i n t e r n a t i o n a l organizat ions. Apart from discuss ing the Agency's 1983/84 budget and adminis t ra t ive mat te rs , the Committee reviewed progress on t h e implementation of the Regional Research and Development Programme on f i s h e r i e s (RRDP). Within the RRDP t h e SPC's Tuna and B i l l f i s h Assessment Programme and i t s Deep Sea

, ~ i s h e r i e s Development Pro jec t a r e l i s t e d a s p r i o r i t y i tems, and t h e governments \ represented i n the Committee expressed s a t i s f a c t i o n a t t h e progress made i n

these a c t i v i t i e s .

l The Committee recognised the urgent need t o ensure t h a t members rece ive reasonable r e t u r n s and equ i t ab le d i s t r i b u t i o n of b e n e f i t s from h igh ly migratory f i s h spec ies taken from t h e i r waters and wished the Agency t o cons ider t h i s as i t s primary objec t ive . The Committee a l s o recognised the va lue of t h e SPC's Tuna and B i l l f i s h Assessment Programme, c u r r e n t l y scheduled t o terminate i n September 1984, and s t rong ly supported the continuat ion of such research a c t i v i t i e s a s high p r i o r i t y i n the RRDP.

Fish Pos te r s

The Off ice of Marine Resources of the'Government of American Samoa have r e c e n t l y published a wal l pos ter of Samoan bottomfishes. The pos ter , p ic tured below, f e a t u r e s 50 colour photographs by D r Richard C. Wass of f i s h f requent ly caught bottom-fishing,including the common deep-water snappers of the ou te r r ee f s lope. S c i e n t i f i c , Samoan and ~ n g l i s h names a re given, with space fo r t h e a d d i t i o n of l oca l names. Copies a r e a v a i l a b l e , p r i ce $5 plus postage, from M r H. Sesepasara, Manager, Off ice of Marine Resources, American Samoa Government, Pago Pago, American Samoa 98788.

.

SAMOAN BOTTOMFISHES

The ~ i s h e r i e s Division of F i j i ' s ini is try of Agr icul ture and F i she r i e s i s a l s o planning to produce an educat ional pos ter which w i l l ca r ry photographs of 50 t o 60 of ~ i j i ' s most important food f i s h e s , including inshore spec ies which make up most of F i j i ' s landings.

Fishing Boat Evaluation For Cook Is lands

The SPC has been requested by the Cook Is lands Government t o a s s i s t i n the eva lua t ion of a small f i s h i n g v e s s e l designed fo r a r t i s a n a l use. The vesse l , an aluminium d i e s e l powered vers ion of t h e F i l i p i n o 'banca ' , i s prefabr ica ted i n Aust ra l ia and shipped i n k i t form f o r l o c a l assembly, r e s u l t i n g i n a durable, low-maintenance and very' economical f i s h i n g u n i t . The Cook Is lands Government i s t e n t a t i v e l y considering purchasing a number of these u n i t s , but recognising t h a t t h e twin out r igger c r a f t is a novel design un te s t ed under loca l condit ions, wishes f i r s t t o see the v e s s e l undergo a s e r i e s of thorough sea t r i a l s conducted by an experienced small-boat fisherman. SPC w i l l a s s i s t the Cook Is lands government with i t s eva lua t ion , which w i l l probably involve the preliminary importat ion of a prototype and i t s use i n ex tens ive l o c a l f i sh ing t r i a l s .

Handbooks On Fishing Techniques Planned

The presence of a l l t h r e e SPC master fishermen i n Noumea fo r t h e 15th Regional Technical Meeting on F i she r i e s i n August r ep resen t s a unique opportuni ty to draw on and document t h e i r c o l l e c t i v e experience of f i sh ing . I n the two weeks following the meeting, the masterfishermen and o the r SPC s t a f f plan to colaborate in the prepara t ion of two technica l manuals on f i s h i n g techniques appl icable t o the region. The s t y l e of p re sen ta t ion w i l l be simple and generously i l l u s t r a t e d so as to be of p r a c t i c a l value t o fishermen and t echn ica l f i s h e r i e s s t a f f , and each handbook w i l l cover a major sub jec t a r ea . One, dea l ing with bottom f i s h i n g techniques, w i l l document the Commission's t en years experience i n f i sh ing the outer reef s lope and lagoon, and d e t a i l t h e many v a r i a t i o n s i n technique which have been developed t o cope with d i f f e r i n g opera t ing condit ions. The o ther w i l l cover the broad sub jec t of t r o l l f i s h i n g , and i n add i t ion to descr ib ing the various gears and methods used fo r t r o l l i n g c o a s t a l pelagic f i s h and open water schools , w i l l d e t a i l more recent innovations developed t o harves t f i s h assoc ia ted with f i s h aggregat ion devices.

Funding a s s i s t ance for t h i s p ro jec t has been generously provided by t h e Commonwealth Foundation.

,' \ Ni-Vanuatu Extension Of f i ce r Studies PAD Fishing In Western Samoa

F i she r i e s Extension Off icer M r Walu Sak, of t h e Vanuatu F i she r i e s Department, recent ly returned home from a three-week v i s i t to Western Samoa, where he s tudied the e s t ab l i shed f i s h i n g techniques p r a c t i s e d around t h e numerous f i s h aggregation devices i n s t a l l e d i n coas t a l waters . The s tudy t r i p , funded by SPC, was k indly hosted by t h e Western Samoan F i she r i e s Division. Chief F isher ies Off icer M r Alphonso Ph i l ipp arranged fo r M r Sak t o s t a y f o r t h e dura t ion of h i s v i s i t with a loca l fisherman and h i s family on the south coast of Upolu. During t h i s period the fisherman made twice-daily t r i p s t o the FADs on h i s ' a l i a ' catamaran, landing on average 40-50 kg of tuna per t r i p . I n h i s r epor t on the study tou r , M r Sak descr ibes some of the t i p s he ga thered , such as the use of sk ip jack as l i v e b a i t t o catch l a rge ye l lowfin on sur face mini-longlines.

The Vanuatu Government has an a c t i v e FAD development programme, and M r Sak, a l ready an experienced bottom-fisherman and extens ion o f f i c e r , w i l l be l a r g e l y respons ib le fo r demonstrating the p o t e n t i a l y i e l d s from FADs to Vanuatu's fishermen.

10

EEZ Management Course Held i n F i j i

A course on EEZ management wa n June a t the Ins held e a r l y i t t i t u t e of Marine Resources of the Univers i ty of the South P a c i f i c i n Suva, F i j i . The four-week course, organized j o i n t l y by the In t e rna t iona l Oceans I n s i t u t e , the Commonwealth S e c r e t a r i a t , and t h e Forum ~ i s h e r i e s Agency cons is ted of lec tures on a wide v a r i e t y of topics wi th in the broad theme of management of ocean resources and a f f a i r s . p a r t i c i p a n t s , who were mainly middle t o senior- level o f f i c e r s from Government Departments of the region involved i n EEZ management, generated l i v e l y and f r u i t f u l d iscuss ions a f t e r the se s s ions , and thereby h igh l igh ted the complex na ture of t h e topic and the problems indiv idual c o u n t r i e s face i n making the b e s t of t h e i r own ocean resources.

Vanuatu Vi l l age F i she r i e s Development P ro jec t Evaluation Meeting Planned

The Vanuatu Fisher ies Department and CUSO, the Canadian University Serv ice Overseas, have j o i n t l y organised a four-day meeting, t o be he ld i n Port V i l a , i n August, a t which t h e var ious con t r ibu to r s to the Government's Vil lage F i s h e r i e s Development Pro jec t w i l l a ssess progress t o da te . The p ro jec t , repor ted i n SPC Fisher ies Newsletter No 24, rece ives considerable input from CUSO i n the form of volunteers assigned t o work as Vi l lage Fisher ies Advisers (VFAs) with f i s h i n g groups which have been es tab l i shed i n i s l and locat ions. Five VFAs a r e c u r r e n t l y i n post with some a s s i s t i n g more than one f i sh ing group. A l l groups a re producing s u b s t a n t i a l q u a n t i t i e s of f i s h , mostly high-qual i ty deep-bottom f i s h , much of which i s channelled t o Por t Vi la through t h e newly opened f i s h market. Catch r a t e s have a l so been very encouraging, p a r t i c u l a r l y i n view of the f a c t t h a t members of most of the groups a r e new to f i s h i n g . However, each group is experiencing i t s own unique s e t of problems ( see Deep Sea F i she r i e s Development Pro jec t Notes, Vanuatu - t h i s i s s u e ) and developing i t s own answers to them. The planned meeting i s seen a s a way of i d e n t i f y i n g common d i f f i c u l t i e s and gaining i n s i g h t s i n t o p o t e n t i a l so lu t ions from t h e experience of o thers . P a r t i c i p a n t s w i l l include r ep resen ta t ives of the F i s h e r i e s Department and CUSO adminis t ra t ion , t h e volunteers themselves, and members of t h e f i s h i n g groups. Several s e s s ions a r e planned f o r attendance by a l l p a r t i c i p a n t s , while o the r s a r e designed for those with spec i f i c requirements . For ins tance , while those respons ib le fo r f inanc ia l admin i s t r a t ion r epor t on the groups' p r o f i t s and los ses , ves se l skippers and f i s h i n g crew w i l l have the opportuni ty t o go f i sh ing around the FADS o f f Port Vi la and d i s c u s s v a r i a t i o n s i n methods and techniques.

Mew F i s h e r i e s I n s t i t u t e Es tabl i shed

The I n t e r n a t i o n a l I n s t i t u t e of F i she r i e s Economics and Trade has been formed, a s a r e s u l t of a recommendation by t h e f i r s t In t e rna t iona l Seafood Trade Conference held i n Anchorage, Alaska, l a s t year. The I n s t i t u t e , membership of which i s open t o indiv idual a t a cos t of US$10, hopes t o a t t r a c t members from governments, i ndus t ry and u n i v e r s i t i e s a l l over the world. I t s major goal i s t o f a c i l i t a t e information exchange, and t o serve as a c lear ing house fo r cooperat ive research undertakings through bringing together members with common i n t e r e s t s .

For f u r t h e r information w r i t e t o : Richard S. Johnston, In t e rna t iona l I n s t i t u t e of F i she r i e s Economics and Trade, Department of Agr i cu l tu ra l and Resource Economics, Oregon S t a t e Univers i ty , Corva l l i s , OR 97331-3601, USA.

1983 I n t e r n a t i o n a l Seafood Conference

The 1983 I n t e r n a t i o n a l Seafood Conference i s t o be h e l d i n Vienna, A u s t r i a , from November 6 th-9th t h i s y e a r . The c o n f e r e n c e is d e s i g n e d p r i n c i p a l l y f o r f i s h i n g i n d u s t r y r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s , p a r t i c u l a r l y of p r o c e s s i n g and marke t ing companies. P r e s e n t a t i o n s a r e planned by t e c h n i c a l e x p e r t s and confe rence l e a d e r s , and t h e mee t ing a l s o p r o v i d e s o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r b u s i n e s s c o n t a c t s w i t h key i n d u s t r y f i g u r e s from over 35 c o u p t r i e s .

For more in fo rmat ion , c o n t a c t : I n t e r n a t i o n a l Seafood Conference , 1101 Connect icut Avenue N.W., S u i t e 705, Washington, D.C. 20036, U.S.A.

"As ia f i sh 83" Conference

The Second I n t e r n a t i o n a l Conference on F i s h e r i e s Investment and Development i n S.E. Asia and t h e P a c i f i c , o r "As ia f i sh 8 3 " i s schedu led t o take p lace from September 7th-9th i n Singapore . The c o n f e r e n c e ' s aim i s t o i d e n t i f y inves tment and development o p p o r t u n i t i e s i n t h e A s i a I P a c i f i c r e g i o n . To promote t h i s aim, major s p e a k e r s w i l l d e l i v e r t a l k s under 5 major themes :

/ commercial f i s h i n g o p p o r t u n i t i e s , c a t c h i n g , h a n d l i n g and p r o c e s s i n g t h e f i s h , and funding t h e i n d u s t r y . F i e l d v i s i t s t o an i n t e g r a t e d sea food p r o c e s s i n g p l a n t and a commercial f l o a t i n g f i s h farm a r e a l s o planned.

For f u r t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n , c o n t a c t : A s i a f i s h 83 , E x h i b i t i o n and Conference Management Cen t re ( p i e ) L t d , 150 C e c i l S t r e e t # 14-01, Wing On L i f e Bldg, Singapore 0106.

SPC F i she r i e s Newsletter No.25 Apri l - June 1983

PROGRESS REPORT ON THE GREEN MUSSEL CULTURE PROJECT I N WESTERN SAMOA, APRIL 1983

Lui Bell and Jane Alber t , F i she r i e s Division, Apia, Western Samoa.

In t roduct ion

~ n v e s t i g a t i o n of the p o s s i b i l i t y of cu l tu r ing the Phil ippine green mussel, Perna v i r i d i s , i n Western Samoa was i n i t i a t e d by the Chief F isher ies Of f i ce r i n October 1981. This spec ies was seen as a p o t e n t i a l cash crop, r i ch i n p ro te in and s u i t a b l e fo r c u l t i v a t i o n a t v i l l a g e level . Funds were donated by the Canadian In t e rna t iona l Development Agency and the United Nations Development Pro jec t i n e a r l y 1982 t o enable a p i l o t c u l t u r e pro jec t , which involved the growing on of imported mussel s p a t , to be c a r r i e d out. The f i r s t importat ion i n mid-~une, 1982, cons is ted of about 40,000 s p a t , which were placed i n s i t e s c l o s e to Apia t o enable growth r a t e s and environmental condi t ions to be c a r e f u l l y monitored by F i she r i e s Department s t a f f . A second phase i n February, 1983, saw the importat ion of about 70,000 spa t , which were placed i n more remote a reas on ~ a v a i ' i and Upolu i s l ands , a s shown i n Figure 1 , t o enable eva lua t ion of t h e i r performance under condit ions more closely ak in t o those a n t i c i p a t e d i n v i l l a g e c u l t u r e p ro jec t s .

S i t e 3:Asau Bay

S A V A I ' I

0

10 km (approx)

S i t e l:Mulinulu Bay

Harbour

U P O L U

S i t e 4 : ~ a f a t a U Figure 1 : P i l o t mussel c u l t u r e s i t e s i n Western Samoa

Phase 1

The 40,000 spat de l ivered i n mid-June 1982 had an average s h e l l l eng th of 9 mm, and were bound onto shor t lengths of 1.5 cm diameter polypropylene rope by wrapping them around the rope with s t r i p s of o l d kno t l e s s 5 mm square-mesh n e t t i n g . This holds the spa t i n close contact with the rope u n t i l they a t t a c h themselves f i rmly by t h e i r own byssus threads. Once attachment has begun t o occur , r e s t r i c t i o n of the growth of the mussels can be avoided by ca re fu l ly s l i t t i n g the n e t t i n g , which i s u l t ima te ly completely removed or d e t e r i o r a t e s .

Af ter binding on t h e s p a t , the ropes were each a t tached by one end t o the underside of anchored bamboo r a f t s , of about 4m X 5m, and suspended v e r t i c a l l y . The densi ty of the spa t along the rope sec t ions was about 250-275 mussels per metre.

S i t e 1 : Mulinu'u. Approximately 10,000 spa t were a t t ached t o one r a f t , on 18 rope sec t ions each of about 2m i n length. The s i t e i s a dredged a r e a of

,' about 300 sq.m and a maximum water depth of about 2.25m, s e t i n a shallow bay about 5 times l a r g e r , and support ing some l o c a l b iva lves . S a l i n i t y var ied from 36 to 38 ppt ( p a r t s per thousand), temperature from 27.6Oto 29 .6 '~ , and pH from 7.5 to 8.1, during the four months t h a t da t a was kept .

The mussels on t h i s r a f t suf fered severe mor ta l i t y i n the f i r s t month, and by mid-July a mere 170 mussels were l e f t ( l e s s than 2%). This was a t t r i b u t e d l a rge ly to poor handling and binding techniques - dead mussels were found i n clumps under heav i ly and t i g h t l y wound n e t t i n g , and some n e t t i n g had been cut away before the spa t were properly a t tached to the ropes , allowing t h e mussels to be swept away. It was c l e a r t h a t t he re had been human i n t e r v e n t i o n , as some ropes were found s t r ipped of mussels and the re was some, but very l i t t l e , evidence of n a t u r a l predat ion. The r a f t was eventua l ly cut from i t s anchor and blown ashore i n November, 1982 a f t e r which i t was dismantled and removed. A t t h a t time, the average length of the mussels had reached 2.0 cm (range 1.2 - 3.3cm) with only 72 mussels remaining.

S i t e 2 : Fishe r i e s Harbour. About 30,000 spa t were a t t ached on 3m rope sec t ions to two r a f t s i n the same way as a t S i t e 1. The a r e a , loca ted c l o s e t o the cent re of Apia, i s open t o the inf luence of oceanic waters through the large passage of Apia harbour, although t h e r a f t s themselves a r e p ro tec t ed by a newly constructed breakwater. The water of t h e harbour i s r e l a t i v e l y c l e a r , a Secchi d i s c s t i l l being v i s i b l e a t the bottom, which i s 4-5 m deep. S a l i n i t y was genera l ly around 36 ppt and temperature var ied from 27.Z0to 30 .6 '~ . with lower temperatures being experienced i n July-August and higher ones i n October-April.

Again, there was an i n i t i a l m o r t a l i t y problem, with o v e r a l l su rv iva l of only 30% a f t e r the f i r s t month. Heavy sponge and a l g a l s e t t l emen t s occurred on the ropes i n the months t h a t followed, poss ib ly h inder ing food a q u i s i t i o n by the mussels. Growth has been slow, with an average length of 3.3cm (range, 1 .9 - 4.7cm) being a t t a i n e d a f t e r 10 months, although an inc rease i n growth r a t e over the warmer months was noted (see f ig .2 ) . Meat content i s low, and the re i s no s ign of gonadal development. Some human in t e r f e rence a l s o occurr red , and only 400-500 mussels remain the re now.

Safa ta ( t r a y s ) (commenced Feb 83)

Average l eng th of 3.0 mussel (cm)

(commenced June 82)

>

Time (months)

F igure 2: Average mussel growth r a t e s f o r t h e two s p a t importations

of June 1982 and February 1983

Phase 2

The second importat ion of approximately 70,000 s p a t s , 93 days o l d from se t t l emen t and with an average s h e l l length of l 2 m , a r r ived i n February, 1983. These were a t tached to r a f t s a s before , with ca re fu l a t t e n t i o n d i r ec t ed to spacing t h e s p a t s more evenly on the ropes , avoiding l a rge clumps of more than 40 i n one s p o t , and binding them more gent ly with only one layer of ne t t i ng . Another method of attachment i n t r ays was a l s o attempted a t the Safata s i t e .

S i t e 3 : Asau Bay. Rock oys t e r s and barnacles abound on the rocks around t h e edges of t h i s l a rge bay, which has an area of 100 hec tares estimated as s u i t a b l e f o r mar icul ture (AQUACOP survey, Ju ly , 1978). A t o t a l of about 30,000 s p a t s were a t tached to two r a f t s on growing ropes 3m long hanging below them.

The water is a r i c h green colour and Secchi d i s c v i s i b i l i t y does not exceed t h r e e metres a t one of the r a f t s i t e s . This information combined with t h e growth r a t e s of the mussels and of o ther bivalves i n the area, suggest a r i c h supply of plankton. The water is about 10m deep below one r a f t and 5m below t h e o ther . Surface s a l i n i t y is 30 ppt a t the f i r s t s i t e , 24 ppt a t the second, and temperature i n t h e bay v a r i e s from 28.0' t o 31.5' C. Temperature drops suddenly 1-2 C and s a l i n i t y r i s e s t o 36 ppt a t a depth of 3m. Surface pH readings vary from 7.5 t o 8.0- A l l these parameters w i l l be monitored for evidence of seasonal change.

Mussel growth has been r ap id , and t h e i r average length i s now 3.6 cm, with a range of 2.4 - 4.9 cm. This represents an average growth of 2.4 cm i n 1.5 months or 1.6 cmlmonth. Attachment was rap id and s t rong , and m o r t a l i t y was estimated a t l e s s than 10% (thought t o occur mainly i n a reas of rope which were too crowded with mussels d e s p i t e at tempts to a t t a c h them c a r e f u l l y ) . Barnacles have s e t t l e d on some mussel s h e l l s , but do not appear t o be causing any damage. Gonadal development has begun, though mussels a re not y e t ready t o spawn. Bright white and b r igh t orange meat c l e a r l y d i s t ingu i shes between male and female mussels, whereas no such d i s t i n c t i o n i s poss ib le with t h e Apia mussels , and meat q u a l i t y and quant i ty a r e high.

S i t e 4 : Safata Bay. This bay i s a c t u a l l y a well pro tec ted t i d a l pond ly ing between t h e shore and a peninsula p a r a l l e l t o the shore l ine , and suppor t s a wide v a r i e t y of bivalve and crustacean l i f e . Two r a f t s were placed i n deeper a reas of the bay (2.25m) with growing ropes 2m long. The s a l i n i t y a t the r a f t s was recorded a s 28 ppt a t low t i d e and 34 ppt a t high t i d e , temperature from 30-31°c and pH about 8.0. A t o t a l of 30,000 s p a t s were a t tached t o t h e s e , r a f t s . An estimated 10% of the s p a t s were l o s t as they apparent ly d id not t r a v e l well ( they f l o a t e d when they were put i n t h e water ) , and about 50% were found dead on one r a f t when the n e t t i n g was s l i t too soon a f t e r binding. An add i t iona l 10% loss was incurred a t t h i s same r a f t presumably because of weak attachment, being knocked o f f by f l o a t i n g o b j e c t s , and by people using the r a f t a s a diving board. The o the r r a f t a l s o suf fered about a 40% l o s s due to t i g h t binding. Growth r a t e of these mussels has been 1.2 cmlmonth fo r the pas t 1.5 months (average length 3.0 cm; range 2.3 - 4.0 cm).

Addit ional ly, about 10,000 spa t were placed i n 3cm X 1m X 1.5m wooden-framed t rays with small-mesh screening on the bottom, s e t i n an a r e a about l m deep. Several 1m lengths of 1 6 m re in fo rc ing rod , t o which i t was ant ic ipa ted t h a t the mussels would a t t ach themselves, were introduced t o t h e t rays . Once attachment is complete the r e in fo rc ing rods can be removed and e a s i l y t ransported or hung hor i zon ta l ly fo r fu r the r growing on, a method based on t r i a l s i n Tah i t i .

Predatory crabs and s i l t a t i o n were an i n i t i a l problem and necess i t a t ed separa t ion of the t rays (two on one rack and one on another ) which a l s o had t o

\ be closed i n with 2.5 cm wire mesh. The mussels have been l e f t t o grow, most now at tached to the r e in fo rc ing ba r , but some to t h e wooden frame, and a few t o t h e small-mesh screening. These l a t t e r w i l l soon be removed a s they a r e causing the accumulation of s i l t and algae.

Growth of these mussels has been about 1 .3 cmlmonth, with an average length of 3.2cm and a range of 2.2 - 4.2cm. About 20% of t h e s p a t s on the top t r ay f loa t ed away before a t t ach ing due to the c u r r e n t , and about another 40% mor ta l i t y occured on the bottom t r a y , mostly due to predat ion by the c rab Scyl la s e r r a t a . Puffer f i s h have a l s o been seen a t t ack ing mussels on both t h e r a f t s and the t rays .

Conclusions And Future Outlook: The growth which has occurred a t the Asau and Safa ta s i t e s c l e a r l y show t h a t t h e c u l t u r e of green mussels from spat to marketable s i z e i s poss ib l e i n Western Samoa. A s shown below, growth r a t e s a t these s i t e s exceed those experienced i n many o ther count r ies which market green mussels, a l though i t must be kept i n mind t h a t these r a t e s occurred during pa r t of the warmer season, and may dec l ine somewhat during the cooler p a r t of the year .

Comparative Growth Rates Of Perna V i r i d i s

WESTERN SAMOA Asau Safa t a

TONGA TAHITI PHILIPPINES I N D I A INDONESIA SINGAPORE

1.6cm/month 1.2cm/month(rafts) 1.3cm/month(trays) 0.5cm/month 0.8cm/month l.Ocm/month(marketed a f t e r 4 - 6 months) 1.2cm/month(marketed a f t e r 5 - 6 months) 0. 8cm/month l.Ocm/month(marketed a f t e r 6 months 1.

Data from F i s h e r i e s Division Annual Report, Tonga, 1982, and Davy and Graham, 1982.

We conclude t h a t the spa t placed i n t h e Apia s i t e s were not handled w e l l , but more important ly t h a t s i t e s e l e c t i o n was not optimal with respec t to the n u t r i t i o n a l ' requi rements of the mussels. The quest ion s t i l l remains a s to whether t h e Asau o r Safata mussels w i l l spawn. Current plans c a l l for continued da ta c o l l e c t i o n on t h e gonadal development of the mussels and preparat ion of s e t t l i n g ropes and plankton sampling when spawning seems l i k e l y t o occur. Future plans w i l l include expansion of these s i t e s and inves t iga t ion of o ther s u i t a b l e a r e a s f o r mussel cu l tu re .

REFERENCES

1. Anon 1982 Annual Report, F i she r i e s Divis ion , Tonga.

2. AQUACOP. Ju ly , 1978. Aquaculture Survey Report.

3. Davy, F. Brian, and ~ i c h a e l Graham, Eds, 1982. Bivalve Culture i n Asia and t h e p a c i f i c . Proceedings of a workshop he ld i n Singapore, 16-19 February 1982. I n t e r n a t i o n a l Development Research Centre.

SPC Fisheries Newsletter No 25 April-~une 1983

A GLOSSARY OF JAPANESE FISHING TERMS

by

Robert D. Gillett South Pacific Commission Noume , New Caledonia.

The following glossary is not intended to be definitive or comprehensive, but has been designed as a practical tool to facilitate communication between fisheries workers and Japanese personnel.

~nglishf~nglais

, FishfMarine Life

Fish Skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis) yellowfin (Thunnus albacares) Bigeye (~hunnus obesus) Small bigeye (T. obesus) Mackerel tuna (Euthynnus affinis) Bullet tuna (Auxis rochei) Frigate tuna(Auxis thazard Northern blue fin (Thunnus thynnus ) Southern bluefin (Thunnus maccoyii) Dogtooth tuna (Gymnosarda unicolor) ~ongtail tuna(Thunnus tonggol) Albacore (Thunnus alalunga) Rainbow runner(E1egatis bipinnulatus) Triggerfish(Fam. ~alistidae) Common dolphinfish(~oryphaena hippurus) Barracuda(Sphyraena spp. )

/' \

Trevallies, jacks(Fam. ~aran~idae) ~hark(0rder ~amniformes)

- Sakana - Katsuo - Kihada maguro - Mebachi maguro - Daruma - Yaito, Suma - Marusodakatsuo - Hirasodakatsuo - Kuromaguoro - Minami maguro - Isomaguro - Koshinaga - Tonbo, Bincho - Okiburi, Tsumuburi - Kawahagi - Shiira - Onikamasu - Aji - Same

Wahoo(Acanthocybium solandri) - Sawara, Okisawara Swordfish(~iphias gladius) - Mekajiki Sailfish(1stiophorus platypterus) - Bashokajiki Black marlin (Makaira indica) - Shirokawa Blue marlin (~akaira nigricans) - Kurokawa Striped marlin (Tetrapturus audax) - Makaj iki Shark mackerel, double - lined mackerel(~rammatorcinus bicarinatus) - Nijosaba

Whale - Kujira Flying fish(Fam.~xocoetidae) - Tobi Uo Turtle - Kame porpoise - Iruka, Eoto kujira Bait - Esa Jellyfish - Kurage

poissons/Faune et flore marines

Poisson Bonite a ventre ray4 Thon jaune Thon obese Petit thon obese Bonite a dos ray6 Auxide Auxide Thon rouge Thon rouge austral Thon a dents de chien Pas de nom en Francais Germon Coureur arc-en-ciel Baliste (balistid4s) Coryphene Becune, barracuda

(sphyrenides ) Carangues (carangides) ~e~uin(ordre des

lamniformes ) Thazard du large Espadon Voilier Marlin noir Marlin bleu Marlin ray4

Maquereau saumon Baleine Exocet (exocoetid6s) Tortue marine ~arsouin ~ppzt, bostte Meduse

Saury(Fam. Scomberesocidae)

Sardine(Fam. ~ l u p e i d a e ) Herring(Fam. ~ l u p e i d a e ) Seaweed Seal Crus tacea

Types of Vessels

Pole-and-liner Longliner Purse-seiner

500 tonne s e i n e r

116 tonne s e i n e r

N e t boat Search boat

C a r r i e r boat P a t r o l v e s s e l Mothership S c i e n t i f i c research s h i p

Types of Schools

School Log school Whale school Rippler Boi le r Payao school Porpoise school

P a r t s of Purse-Seine Vessel

Cabin Bathroom Wheelhouse Upper deck Galley Mess/saloon Engine room F o r e c a s t l e F ish hold Power block

Purse winch Main s k i f f

No.2 s k i f f No.3 s k i f f Speedboat Chart room Bow

- Sanma

- Iwashi - Nisin - Wakame - Azarashi - Kokakurui

- Ippon zurisen - Haenawasen - Makiamisen - Kaigaimakiamisen

- Kinkaimakiamisen

Orphie (scombresocid6s)

Sardine (clupeides ) Hareng (clup&id&s) Algues Phoque Crustac6s

- Amisen - Gyotansen - Katsuosen no upansen - Pa t ro l sen - Bosen - Kagukuchosasen

Types de bateaux

Canneur Palangrier Senneur Senneur de 500

tonneaux Senneur de 116

tonneaux Bateau i f i l e t s Bateau de recherche Bateau t ranspor teur Pa t rou i l l eu r Bateau - mere Navire

oc6anographique

- Gyogun no shurui Types de Mattes

- Gyogun, Tsumure Matte - Kizuki Matte sous 6pave - Kujirazuki Matte sous ba le ine - Mizumochi Balbaya - Shirawaki Brisant - Jinkoryuboku Matte sous payao - Irukazuki Matte sous marsouins

- Shi t su , Heya - Furoba - Senkyo, Burizi - Jokohan - Makanai s h i t su - Shokudo - Kikan s h i t s u - Kohansoko - Gyoso - Ami s abak i ,

Pawaburokku - Pasu u inchi - Lekko boto , Ich igote i

- Nigotei - Sangotei - Speedboto - Kaizu s h i t s u - Omote, Senshu

Cabine Sa l l e de bains Tmonerie Pout superieur Cuisine Carre Chambre des machines Gai l la rd Cale i poisson

Palan mgcanique Treu i l i senne Ski f f p r inc ipa l ,

annexe Ski f f No.2 Ski f f No. 3 Vedette, g l i s s e u r Chambre de v e i l l e Proue

Stern Por t S tarboard Hull Radio Room Propel le r Mast Deck Tow rope

P a r t s of Net

Net F loa t s Rings Wire r ing l i n e Mesh Net needle

Net twine Nett ing Sinkers , leads

Mechanics of S e t t i n g

Standby Set Let go Rings up Stacking Drying up Bra i l ing Net r o l l up Net mending

Gear

Gaff Hook Rope Binoculars Brai l ing scoop Boots Hard h a t Gloves Oar Bamboo Anchor Payao Small l i n e

- Tomo, Sembi - Tor ika j i - Omoka j i - Senta i - Museinshi tsu ' - Propera - Masto - Kohan - Ote

- A m i - Aba - Kan - Kosaku, Wire rope - Amime - Abari

- It0 - Amichi - Omori

- Junbi, Stanbai - Tomo - Lekko - Kanmaki shuryo - Yomo - Ami okoshi - Sakana no torikomi - Bomaki - A m i s h u r i

- Kagi - Tsur iba r i - Tsuna - Sogankyo - Tamo - Nagagutsu - Herumeto - Tebukuro - Kai - Take - I k a r i - Payao - H i m 0

Poupe Bsbord Tribord Coque Central r a d i o HSlice M2 t Pon t Cable de remorquage

P a r t i e s du f i l e t

F i l e t F l o t t e u r s Anneaux Ral ingue Maillage Aigu i l l e f i l e t ,

n a v e t t e F i l 2 f i l e t F i l e t Plombs e t t e s t s

Operat ions de pose des f i l e t s

Pare pose (coup de senne) Larguage Fermeture du f i l e t Rangement du f i l e t Virement Salabardage F i l e t emme16 ~ e m a i l l a g e ,

ramendage, du F i l e t .

Accessoires

Gaffe Hamecon F i l i n Jumelles p u i s e t t e i dScharger Bottes Casque Gants Aviron Bambou Ancre Payao P e t i t e l i gne

Oceanography Oceanographie

Current Seamount Current meter Sea sur face temperature

S a l i n i t y Border between cu r ren t s

Crew

Vessel Owner Captain F ish ing Master Chief Engineer Bosun Crew l is t

Navigation

Degree Minute Second GUT Speed Fish ing p o r t I s l and Archipelago Lighthouse Wharf T e r r i t o r i a l sea Reef Course Di rec t ion Noon p o s i t i o n Chart La t i tude Longitude Radar S a t e l l i t e naviga t ion Set p o s i t i o n Current Sonar Offshore S teaming D r i f t i n g Calm Rough Storm Fish ing ground

- Choryu - Yanjin - Choryukei - Kaisuion, Kaisu i no ondo

- Enbun - Shiome

- Senin

- Senshu - Sencho - Gyorocho - Kikancho - Bosun - Senin meibo

- Kokai

- DO

- Fun - By0 - GMT - Husoku, Sokuryoku - Gyoko - Shoto, Shima - Gunto - Todai - FUtO - Ryokai - Ansho - Shinro, Cosu - Hoko - Shogo i c h i - Kaizu - Id0 - Keido - Radar - E i s e i koho - Tomo i c h i - Choryu - Sonar - Okiai - Kokai - Nagashi - Magi - Arai - Arashi - Gyojo

Courant Haut-fond Courantometre Temperature de l a mer

en sur face S a l i n i t e Front ie re e n t r e

courants

Equipage

Amateur Capita ine Patron de pgche Chef mecanicien Maitre d'equipage Role d'equipage

Navigation

Degre Minute Seconds (MT Vitesse h o r a i r e Port de peche l i e Archipel Phare Wharf, quai Mer t e r r i t o r i a l e Recif Route Direct ion Pos i t ion a midi Carte Lat i tude Longitude Radar Navigation s a t e l l i t e Pos i t ion de peche Courant Sonar Au l a rge En route Derivant Bonace, mer calme Mer houleuse, grosse Temp8 t e Lieu de peche,

pecherie

S c i e n t i f i c Terms

Species Male Female Length Weight Gonads Stomach F in Fish sca le G i l l Weighing s c a l e s Measuring board Stomach contents To measure lengths To weigh Biologist

, Fish tag Tagged f i s h o t o l i t h To est imate Specimen

Other - F u l l moon New moon Too much current fo r s e t

Too rough fo r s e t

~ i s h e r i e s co-operative

Fresh f i s h Dried f i s h Canned f i s h Fishing catch Purse se ine f i she ry

Longline f i shery Fishing permit Cal l s ign Base Vessel name Inc identa l catch

- Shurui - O S - Mes - Nagasa - Omosa - Seishokusen - I - Hire i - Uroko - Era - Hakari - Monoshashi - I no naiyohutsu - Nagasa o hakaru - Omosa o hakaru - Kagakusha - Hyoshiki - Hyoshiki-gyo - J i s e k i - Mitsumoru - Hyohon

- Mangetsu - Shingetsu - Ami o i r e r u niwa

ahio ga hayai

- A m i o i r e r u niwa nami ga arasugi ru

- Gyogyo Kiyodokumia

- Seigyo - Kangyo - Kakogyo u tsu - Gyokakubutsu - Makiami gyogyo

- Haenawa gyogyo - Gyogyo kyokasho - Cal l s a i n - Kichi - Senmei - Konkaku

Termes S c i e n t i f i q u e s

Espkce Mile Femel l e Longueur Poids Gonades Estomac Nageoire , a i l e r o n ~ c a i l l e s Ouies, Branchies Balance Planche graduee Contenu stomacal Mesurer l a longueur Peser B io log i s t e Marque a poisson Poisson marque Oto l i the Estimer Specimen,

e c h a n t i l l o n

Divers

P le ine lune Nouvel l e lune Courant t rop f o r t pour l a rgue r l e f i l e t Mer t r o p g rosse pour l a rgue r l e f i l e t Cooperative de pecheurs Poisson f r a i s Poisson seche Poisson en conserve P r i s e de poisson Peche a l a senne tournante PGche a l a plangre Permis de peche I n d i c a t i f Base Nom du bateau P r i s e s f o r t u i t e s .

SPC F i s h e r i e s Newsletter No.25 April-June 1983

AIR-SHIPPING OF FRESH FISH FROM AMERICAN SAMOA TO MARKETS I N HAWAII

by

Richard M. Howel l , P a c i f i c Tuna Development Foundation

Pago Pago, American Samoa.

Often circumstances a r i s e i n marketing t h a t w i l l d i r e c t l y s t imu la t e changes i n the manner i n which products a re so ld or handled. One such circumstance t h a t has a r i s e n i n American Samoa i s competition to e s t ab l i shed f r e s h f i s h producers from new sources. The change, export ing of f resh f i s h by a i r .

Although r e t a i l p r i ces fo r f resh f i s h i n American Samoa, usua l ly around $1.75 per pound a t the Fagatogo Public Market, a r e high by Paci f ic Is land s t anda rds , competition fo r t h e l imi t ed number of consumers i n t h e r e l a t i v e l y small l o c a l community has become q u i t e s u b s t a n t i a l , l imi t ing income. This competi t ion comes from harbour t r a d e r s dea l ing i n frozen miscellaneous catch from tuna longline v e s s e l s , and from the increas ing casual s a l e s of " t rash f i s h " from tuna purse se ine r s . Together these two sources of supply have v i r t u a l l y el iminated s a l e s of f r e sh bottomfish to r e s t a u r a n t s and most r e t a i l s t o r e s . The r e s u l t a n t t a sk of marketing a volume adequate to make a l i v i n g , even a t $1.75 per pound, has become more and more time consuming and f r u s t r a t i n g f o r l o c a l fishermen, turn ing them i n t o fishmongers two to th ree days out of the week.

I n 1982 the Off ice of Marine Resources, Government of American Samoa, rece ived funding from the p a c i f i c Tuna Development Foundation t o i n v e s t i g a t e , and i f poss ib le develop, a l t e r n a t i v e markets and means of marketing f o r the f i s h landed by the small fishermen of American Samoa. The following i s a summary account of the r e s u l t s of these e f f o r t s , managed and conducted by the au thor , which has r e s u l t e d i n t h e establ ishment of an air-shipped f r e sh f i s h t r a d e t o ~ a w a i i .

We r e a l i s e d e a r l y on t h a t the p r i ces of l oca l ly landed f i s h could not s u s t a i n lowering to be competi t ive s ince t h e competition f i s h was being so ld c a s u a l l y by vesse l s f o r pocket money a t between 50c and $1.00 per pound. These p r i c e s could drop even f u r t h e r without d i f f i c u l t y i f f resh f i s h prices become compet i t ive , so i t was decided t o minimise the need f o r l o c a l marketing by J

expor t ing a s much ca tch a s poss ib le .

Since I had previously been a b l e t o i n i t i a t e the air-shipping of high va lue f r e s h f i s h from Guam t o Hawaii i n 1981, leading to a s u b s t a n t i a l t r ade t h e r e , we f e l t t h a t success fu l demonstration of air-shipping of small l o t s could apply equal ly i n the American Samoa s i t u a t i o n .

Before embarking on such a venture , however, s eve ra l bas i c c r i t e r i a i nd ica t ing f e a s i b i l i t y had t o be met. These were:

(1) Are the loca l fishermen landing or a r e they capable of landing spec ie s of high enough value and demand overseas to warrant the shipping and r e l a t e d cos t s? 1

( 2 ) Are there means ava i l ab le t o send air-shipments d i r e c t l y o r with l i m i t e d transhipment on a regular b a s i s ?

( 3 ) I s the qua l i ty of the f i s h p resen t ly landed high enough t o be r e a d i l y acceptable to the market, o r , i f n o t , a r e t r a i n i n g means a v a i l a b l e t o upgrade q u a l i t y ?

(4 ) I s there s u f f i c i e n t land t r a n s p o r t , ice-making capaci ty , cold s to rage , e t c . , ava i l ab le a t l oca l po r t s to handle f i s h without degradat ion o r long delays?

(5) Is there i n t e r e s t amongst fishermen to poss ib ly increase income by producing a high q u a l i t y product? W i l l they take the e x t r a ca re?

( 6 ) Can the market overseas be conveniently entered without i ncu r r ing excessive c o s t s or d u t i e s ?

( 7 ) I f s tock s i z e s a re known a r e they adequate to warrant s u b s t a n t i a l exp lo i t a t ion?

I n the case of American Samoa, most of the c r i t e r i a could r e a d i l y be met. The fishermen involved with captur ing deep-water snappers were f a i r l y adept thanks to SPC t r a i n i n g i n the l a t e 19701s, and were landing f i s h with a much higher p o t e n t i a l value on an export market. They were being h u r t l o c a l l y and they were eager for change, i c e was a v a i l a b l e , t ranspor t was adequate, a i r f r e i g h t was d i r e c t to Hawaii and a c h i l l s t o r e of modest propor t ions was located a t the terminal , Entry to t h e United S ta t e s was not d i f f i c u l t , duty was not charged and a i r p o r t handling charges were such t h a t customs brokerage fees could be borne without d i f f i c u l t y . The s tock s i z e s of deep bottomfish were not known, but were bel ieved i n a near v i r g i n s t a t e due to low e f f o r t i n t h e pas t ; i n fu tu re catch per u n i t of e f f o r t would be c a r e f u l l y monitored.

The only drawback t o immediate i n i t i a t i o n of the t r ade , which i s a drawback i n almost a l l a reas of t h e P a c i f i c fac ing export , was the q u a l i t y of the f i s h being considered fo r s a l e . However, working i n i t i a l l y with a small group of fishermen, t r a i n i n g se s s ions and demonstrations were conducted, and quickly enhanced o v e r a l l q u a l i t y to the market standards mandatory fo r the Hawaii consumer. We ins t ruc ted fishermen i n a number of b a s i c s e t procedures t h a t must govern the manner i n which they handle f i s h a t sea. B r i e f l y speaking, i t i s imperative t h a t a l l f i s h be k i l l e d by pene t r a t ion of t h e b r a i n by a sharp instrument from beneath the g i l l cover: they must then be placed i n a s a l t water / ice s lush u n t i l they a r e completely c h i l l e d , s t r a i g h t and firm; and f i n a l l y repacked i n crushed or f l a k e i c e with good drainage a f t e r four t o e igh t hours i n the s lush and he ld with as l i t t l e handling, motion o r t r a n s f e r r i n g a s poss ib le u n t i l f l i g h t time. Simple a s t h e procedures may seem they r e q u i r e ca re and p r a c t i c e so t h a t the a l l - c r i t i c a l s lush medium i s of optimum c h i l l i n g capaci ty , f i s h k i l l e d do not l o se s c a l e s through motion i n t h e br ine , d i sco lo ra t ion i s avoided, e s p e c i a l l y a t t h e bottom of the pack, e t c .

The landings of f i s h a t the beginning of the pro jec t indica ted to me t h a t t he re were a good number of spec ies t h a t d id indeed have high market p o t e n t i a l i n ~ a w a i i , e s p e c i a l l y t h e deepwater snappers. The spec ies t h a t have been exported during t h i s p ro jec t a r e presented i n t ab le 1, with names customari ly applied i n ~ a w a i i .

Table 1 : Species a i r sh ipped t o Hawaii

SCIENTIFIC NAME MARKET NAME (HAWAII )

Onaga, u la Ehu Uku Yelloweye Opakapaka* Opakapaka Line face Opakapaka* Gindai Leh i Stone 's Snapper* Kusakar's Snapper* St r iped grouper* Gungkang ~ a h i mahi

Acanthocybium s o l a n d r i Ono

*Does not occur i n Hawaii.

The f i s h t h a t a r e exported a r e so ld by consignment a t the Honolulu Wholesale Auction. Buyers who t r a d e here a r e very p a r t i c u l a r with regards to f l e s h q u a l i t y and appearance s ince many f i s h , such as E t e l i s corruscans can command extremely high p r i ces throughout the year based on t h e i r d e s i r a b i l i t y a s a g i f t of high p res t ige . The buyers a r e very wel l schooled from years and gene ra t ions of experience so t h a t t h e h ighes t a t t a i n a b l e q u a l i t y cannot be s u b s t i t u t e d for i f one expects a propor t ional r e tu rn . Each f i s h so ld i s judged according to i t s i nd iv idua l m e r i t , the i d e a l condit ion being a f i s h such as t h a t i n f i g u r e 1.

The pro jec t commenced with t h e shipping of the catch from a s ing le fisherman, a ' h i g h l i n e r ' of cons iderable s k i l l , through a s i n g l e buyer, who he lped f o s t e r the p ro jec t by providing shipping information, boxes and con tac t s . He a l s o pa id f r e i g h t and o f fe red a s e t , year-round FOB pr ice . The sh ipping was accomplished by packing pre-chi l led f i s h i n wetlock type f i s h sh ipping ca r tons , t h e f i s h being wrapped i n i n s u l a t i n g papers. We could not cons ider shipping car tons o r o t h e r conta iners of f i s h with i c e due to the weight a s p e c t , so we shipped - dry. A t f i r s t t h i s may seem r i sky , but i t i s not i f c a r e is taken t o ensure cons tant r e f r i g e r a t i o n . After the f i s h a re packed they a r e placed i n t o t h e c h i l l box u n t i l f l i g h t time, when they a r e c a r e f u l l y loaded i n t o a non-controlled atmosphere space i n the planes b e l l y , such as the gene ra l cargo bay. Since the temperature w i l l soon drop as t h e a i r c r a f t comes t o f l i g h t a l t i t u d e , t h e space e f f e c t i v e l y becomes a r e f r i g e r a t o r u n t i l landing, when t h e cartons a r e removed and placed i n another a i r p o r t c h i l l u n t i l being d e l i v e r e d t o the consignee.

Fins uniform - no

Figure 1 : Some Q u a l i t y Ind ica to r s

Using t h i s arrangement we shipped over 9,000 pounds of f i s h dur ing the year without a s ing le loss . The t a r e weight was usual ly between 5% and 7 % of the gross weight as opposed t o up to 50% with conta iners of f i s h and i c e , a very important fac tor . The shipping commenced i n May and by September we had shipped 2,000 lbs of s e l ec t ed f i s h t o t h e buyer. I n September we decided t o switch to marketing d i r e c t l y v i a t h e Honolulu Wholesale Auction fo r t h e following four reasons: f i r s t l y , the Auction a c t s on a percentage-of-sale b a s i s , so i t a c t i v e l y engages i n s e l l i n g f i s h , which inf luences p r i c e s accordingly; secondly, a g rea t v a r i e t y of t r o p i c a l spec ies t h a t have demand i n Hawaii can be marketed the re d a i l y ; t h i r d l y , through t h i s exposure the fisherman can e s t a b l i s h a r epu ta t ion among f i f t e e n t o twenty buyers which can enhance h i s market s ecu r i ty ; fou r th ly , s ince the auc t ion is r e g u l a r , d e a l s i n volume, and markets a wide v a r i e t y of spec ie s , the va r i ab le na tu re of the I s land f isherman's catch can be accommodated bes t by t h i s form of market, which absorbs quant i ty and va r i e ty . Between September 1982 and May of 1983 more than 6,000 pounds of f i s h were marketed through the Auction with a s a l e s value of $US21,811 or an average s a l e s p r i c e of $3.60 per pound f o r a l l spec ies combined. Table 2 gives the spec ie s , poundage, t o t a l s a l e s va lue , p r i ce range and average p r i ce for these s a l e s .

Table 2 : F i s h S a l e s

SPECIES

E t e l i s c o r r u s c a n s E. c a r b u n c u l u s - Aprion v i r e s c e n s P r i s t i p o m o i d e s Aphareus r u t i l a n s Ep inephe lus morrhua Coryphaena h i p p u r u s Acanthocybium s o l a n d r i Caranx s p p - T r o p i d i n i u s z o n a t u s Misc.

T o t a l

POUNDS TOTAL AVERAGE SHIPPED SALES SALES

PRICE

PRICE RANGE --

A s t ime goes on a d j u s t m e n t s a r e being made t o make t h e s a l e s a t a u c t i o n more rewarding. For i n s t a n c e : g roupers (Epinephelus spp . ) and t r e v a l l i e s (Caranx s p p . ) have never r i s e n i n p r i c e o r volume, and, s i n c e t h e s e a r e not v a l u a b l e enough t o s h i p i n smal l l o t s , s h i p p i n g may be d i s c o n t i n u e d ; t h e low volume of mahi mahi (Coryphaena h i p p u r u s ) and wahoo (Acanthocybium s o l a n d r i ) i n d i c a t e s o u r r e c e n t s t a r t wi th t h e s e . E f f o r t w i l l i n c r e a s e h e r e , s i n c e t h e demand i s heavy; of t h e m i s c e l l a n e o u s f i s h , we have begun t o r e c e i v e good feedback and a r i s i n g market p r i c e on t e s t l o t s of P a r a c a e s i o s t o n e i and P. k u s a k a r i i , and we a n t i c i p a t e c o n s i d e r a b l e impact from t h e i n t r o d u c t i o n of the; s p e c i e s t o ~ a w a i i ' s consumers.

The r e s u l t s of t h e s e developments on t h e smal l f l e e t of deep-water bottom f i she rmen i n American Samoa h a s been d ramat ic . Before t h e e x p o r t e f f o r t commenced, a s noted e a r l i e r , f i she rmen were f a c i n g i n c r e a s e d c o m p e t i t i o n by low v a l u e f i s h i n t h e i r marke t s and t h e sale of v a l u a b l e f r e s h f i s h had become a t e d i o u s t a s k . The d i f f i c u l t y of t h e i r p l i g h t became c l e a r when we r e a l i z e d t h a t t h e y were a t t e m p t i n g t o s e l l l a r g e (sometimes exceed ing 20 pounds) f i s h such a s E t e l i s c o r r u s c a n s and E. c a r b u n c u l u s , o u t s i d e o f a c o n s t r i c t i n g , l i m i t e d , r e s t a u r a n t t r a d e , i n a marke t ing s i t u a t i o n where whole f i s h i n t h e one t o f i v e pound range a r e g e n e r a l l y favoured. As i t s t a n d s now t h e s i x f i shermen who a r e r o u t i n e l y s h i p p i n g t o t h e a u c t i o n c a n s o r t t h e i r c a t c h a s t o market , pack and d e s p a t c h i t i n one o r two h o u r s , and sell t h e e x c e s s smal l f i s h wi thout problems.

The long term p r o s p e c t s f o r t h e f i s h e r y seem b r i g h t provided t h a t t h e s t o c k s are n o t o v e r f i s h e d . A r e p u t a t i o n f o r e x c e l l e n c e i n q u a l i t y h a s been e s t a b l i s h e d and long term p r i c e s a r e t r e n d i n g s t e a d i l y upward. This cou ld wel l p r o v i d e a v e r y good income t o t h e nuc leus of p r o f e s s i o n a l f i shermen i n American Samoa f o r t h e f o r e s e a b l e f u t u r e .