FISHERIES NEWSLETTER C o n t e n t s

(1) SPC A c t i v i t i e s

( 2 ) News From I n And Around t h e R e g i o n

( 3 ) The T u v a l u Vaka P r o j e c t by S t e v e n A. Brown

28 J a n u a r y - March 1 9 8 4

( 4 ) Deep-Bottom F i s h i n g i n V a n u a t u : I n i t i a l R e s u l t s by F r a n c o i s B r o u a r d a n d Rene G r a n d p e r r i n

Students on the 1984 SPC Nelson Polytechnic Pacific Fisheries Officer Course (see article on page 4). From [eft to right,,back row: David Aldan (Northern Mariana

Islands), Sikela Ulumutu Tuvalu), emor Nautical Tutor Captain Alastair Robertson, McCarthy Kotaro (Palau), h oane Seo(WaUis and Futuna); Middle row: Rooston Zeissig

(Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia , Andrew Firiam (Vanuatu), Naita Manu (Tonga), Matai Taumea' Kolinisau (Fiji), d onald Alfred arshall Islands); Front row:

Terakura 'Sonny' Tatuava (Cook slands), Val Martin CM onape, Federated States of Micronesia) Timon Bauro (Kiriiati).

P.O. Box D5, NOUMEA CEDEX, New CaledoniaoTelephone: 26.20.000 Cable: SOUTHPACOM NOUMEAoTelex: 139 NM SOPACOM

SPC ACTIVITIES

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

Fiji

SPC Master Fisherman Paul Mead a r r ived i n F i j i l a t e i n January t o commence a country v i s i t whose p r inc ipa l focus is on the development of small s c a l e f i s h i n g techniques around f i s h aggregat ion devices (FADS).

I n l i n e with d iscuss ions he ld a t the 15th SPC Regional Technical Meeting on F i she r i e s i n 1983 (where i t was noted t h a t longer country v i s i t s were d e s i r a b l e i n conducting gear development work of regional s ign i f i cance ) Paul i s scheduled t o work i n F i j i f o r a twelve-month period, t h e f i r s t s i x months t o be based i n Suva, the second i n Labasa, on Vanua Levu.

Paul ' s work has s t a r t e d off with t r i a l s of both v e r t i c a l longline gear and deep t r o l l i n g using a va r i e ty of methods on s i x FADS deployed wi th in reach of Suva by t h e F i j i F i she r i e s Division. E a r l i e r work with v e r t i c a l l ong l ines i n Niue ( see SPC F i she r i e s Newsletter # 26, Jan-Mar 1983) emphasised t h e importance of absolu te ly f r e s h b a i t i n t h i s f i s h i n g technique, and i n F i j i Paul w i l l eva lua te the r e l a t i v e e f f e c t i v e n e s s of l i v e b a i t compared to f r e sh whole b a i t provided adequate supp l i e s of the former can be obtained. For experimental purposes i t i s hoped t o ob ta in l i v e jack mackerel (Decapterus macare l lus) from bouke-ami b a i t ca tches by t h e F i she r i e s Division 's research vesse l 'Tui-ni-Wasabula'. The f i s h w i l l be t r ans fe r r ed to water f i l l e d con ta ine r s ( p l a s t i c household dus tb ins ) on the %-foot dory being used by Paul and h i s counterpart o f f i c e r s , and kept a l i v e by the use of a small battery-powered a e r a t o r , manufactured i n the U.S. f o r spor t fishermen and so ld f o r US$25. I n i t i a l t r i a l s with a modified ve r s ion of the Canadian 'cannonball ' deep t r o l l i n g r i g used f o r salmon have a l s o proved encouraging and w i l l be continued.

- Wall i s and Futuna

Master fisherman Pale Taumaia concluded h i s assignment t o Wallis and Futuna l a t e i n March a f t e r a s i x month v i s i t during which he worked on both i s l a n d s . Pale spent t h e l a s t t h ree months of h i s v i s i t based on Wallis Is land where he conducted a t r a i n i n g programme i n deep-bottom droplining f o r l oca l f i s h i n g groups, working from a number of f i s h i n g boats of various types.

Bottom ca tches were genera l ly good with f a i r l y high catch r a t e s suggest ing a productive resource which i s not f i shed to any g rea t ex tent a t present . A s i n many small i s l a n d coun t r i e s , ob ta in ing good b a i t was a major problem, and during February i t was necessary t o s h i p 90 kg of frozen skipjack from Noumea fo r b a i t , t o maintain the impetus of the t r a in ing programme. Tuna a r e seasonal ly abundant i n the waters around Wal l i s , but very l i t t l e l oca l f i s h i n g a c t i v i t y i s d i r e c t e d towards them, and a s they a re a l s o a favoured e a t i n g f i s h , they can be d i f f i c u l t t o come by f o r b a i t . However, the r e s u l t s of f i s h i n g using other types of f i s h f o r b a i t r e in fo rce the supe r io r i ty of tuna in t h i s regard , and Pale continues t o recommend i t s t rongly . Catch r a t e s in Wallis averaged 5.7 kglreel-hour using sk ip jack or yel lowfin, compared to 2.4 kglreel-hour using o the r f i s h .

Pale l e f t Wal l i s on March 22nd t o t r a v e l t o h i s next assignment i n K i r i b a t i .

- Papua New Guinea Master fisherman Lindsay Chapman travelled to Papua New Guinea in

mid-January to commence a program of work which will take him to three fisheries centres in that country. The first phase, completed in February, was a brief trolling survey of the Kimbe area to assess the potential for Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus commerson) trolling. Although trolling produced over a ton of fish during the month, only 60 mackerel were caught. The conclusion from the survey was that the mackerel season at Kimbe is probably short and well-defined, as was found to be the case during a similar survey carried out by Lindsay at Wewak under UNDP auspices in 1982.

The second phase, in which Lindsay demonstrated trolling and bottom fishing techniques at Manus Island, was curtailed to allow greater 'time to be spent in the third phase, based at Wewak, where Lindsay is assisting with trolling surveys, FAD deployments and the location of new deep bottom fishing grounds.

' SPC "Coastal States" meeting draft agenda circulated

As noted in the last issue of the Fisheries Newsletter (# 271, the SPC has been directed to convene a meeting between Coastal States (of the SPC region) and Distant Water Fishing Nations to discuss future approaches to the assessment and conservation of Pacific tuna resources. The meeting, which will present an opportunity for all the parties with a legitimate interest in the fishery to discuss its future exploitation, is scheduled to be held in Noumea from 18-22 June 1983. The agenda proposed by the Commission and circulated to invited participants in April, is as follows:

Opening address Appointment of Chairman and other office bearers Approval of agenda and timetable Review of background to the directive of the Twenty-third South Pacific Conference to convene this meeting. Consideration of the objectives, achievements and future activities of the Tuna and Billfish Assessment Programme, including the uses of information generated by the Programme. Consideration of the types of additional input required and possible sources : (a) Statistics for SPC area - and beyond (b) Scientific results from other sources for SPC area - and beyond (c) Financing of the Programme Ways and means of obtaining the necessary input. This could include explor- ation of alterations to the operation of the Programme which would expedite obtaining the inputs identified in 6. (a) Possible arrangements countries or institutions can make to increase

the data coverage (b) Possible initiatives to attract additional funding Identification of the measures necessary to facilitate optimum use of the results of the Programme: (a) Where further development of fisheries is possible (b) If the need for conservation is identified Other business

10. Adoption of the report.

SPC consultancies on shell resources completed

Two studies on shell resources of different types have been carried out recently under SPC auspices by consultant specialists.

The f i r s t , conducted by c o n c h o l o g i s t Br ian Park inson between 1st and 2 8 t h November 1983, focused on t h e specimen s h e l l r e s o u r c e s of Tuvalu. The c o n s u l t a n t ' s terms of r e f e r e n c e were t o s u r v e y , a s s e s s and c a t a l o g u e t h e s h e l l r e s o u r c e s of t h e c o u n t r y , a d v i s e on o p t i o n s f o r the promotion of a l o c a l s h e l l i n d u s t r y , and p rov ide i n f o r m a t i o n on s u i t a b l e methods of s h e l l c o l l e c t i o n and t r e a t m e n t . S p e c i f i c i t e m s a l s o a d d r e s s e d were c o n s e r v a t i o n of s h e l l r e s o u r c e s , p a r t i c u l a r l y t h o s e s p e c i e s r egarded a s endangered o r t h r e a t e n e d , and t h e u s e of n e t s o r d redges t o supplement t h e h a r v e s t normal ly t aken reef-walking.

B r i a n ' s work b road ly fo l lowed t h e l i n e s of a s i m i l a r su rvey he c a r r i e d o u t f o r t h e Commission i n F i j i i n 1981 (Park inson , B.J., 1982. The Specimen S h e l l Resources of F i j i : South P a c i f i c Commission). The main c o l l e c t i o n t echn ique used was d i v i n g , e i t h e r w i t h SCUBA t a n k s o r s n o r k e l , and c o l l e c t i o n s were made on Nukufetau and Nukulaelae a s w e l l a s t h e main i s l a n d of F u n a f u t i . Desp i t e t h e l i m i t e d t i m e p e r i o d of t h e survey and t h e f a c t t h a t on ly t h r e e i s l a n d s were v i s i t e d , over 60 new r e c o r d s f o r Tuvalu were made. and t h i s p o i n t s t o t h e p resence of many more s p e c i e s not y e t r ecorded bu t which may he found by more e x t e n s i v e su rvey work. Many s h e l l s popu la r w i t h c o l l e c t o r s were found i n good numbers, and B r i a n a l s o no ted t h a t some o f t h e l o c a l cowr ies were b r i g h t e r and more c o l o u r f u l t h a n i n d i v i d u a l s of t h e same s p e c i e s coming from o t h e r c o u n t r i e s . However, a number of f a m i l i e s common e l sewhere were found t o be p o o r l y r e p r e s e n t e d i n Tuva lu , and t h e o v e r a l l s e a s h e l l fauna i s t y p i c a l of t h e a t o l l environment i n b e i n g less r i c h t h a n t h a t of a l a r g e r coun t ry .

The second c o n s u l t a n c y , a f e a s i b i l i t y s tudy i n t o t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t of a t r o c h u s (Trochus n i l o t i c u s ) h a t c h e r y i n Vanuatu, was c a r r i e d o u t by a q u a c u l t u r e s p e c i a l i s t Jean-Louis Mar t in of CNEXO (Cen t re Nat ional pour 1 ' E x p l o i t a t i o n des Oceans) between March 1 0 t h and 1 3 t h 1984. T h i s s t u d y was o r i g i n a l l y scheduled f o r mid-1983 b u t was postponed due t o d i f f i c u l t i e s i n i d e n t i f y i n g a s u i t a b l e c o n s u l t a n t .

During h i s v i s i t t o Vanuatu, Jean-Louis h e l d d i s c u s s i o n s w i t h F i s h e r i e s Department p e r s o n n e l and o t h e r s concerned w i t h t h e r e v i t a l i s a t i o n of t h e l o c a l t r o c h u s i n d u s t r y . A button-making f a c t o r y , 'Trochus Vanuatu ' , h a s been f o r c e d t o suspend i t s o p e r a t i o n s s i n c e l a t e 1983 due t o a s h o r t a g e of s h e l l s and t h e h a t c h e r y is proposed t o e n a b l e a s e e d i n g programme aimed a t supplement ing n a t u r a l r e c r u i t m e n t t o Vanuatu 's c o r a l r e e f s . Jean-Louis ' i n i t i a l r e s p o n s e t o t h e p r o p o s a l was p o s i t i v e a s t r o c h u s h a t c h e r y technology i s w e l l advanced.

The r e p o r t s of both s t u d i e s w i l l be r e l e a s e d s h o r t l y .

SPCINelson P o l y t e c h n i c P a c i f i c F i s h e r i e s O f f i c e r T r a i n i n g Course commences

1984 i s t h e f i f t h y e a r i n which t h i s 18-week c o u r s e , Sponsored by t h e Canmission and conducted a t Nelson P o l y t e c h n i c i n Nelson, New Zealand, h a s been run. Funding f o r t h e c o u r s e is generous ly provided by t h e New Zealand Government, w i t h s u p p o r t i n g c o n t r i b u t i o n s from t h e Commonwealth Foundat ion, t h e Commonwealth S e c r e t a r i a t and t h e Uni ted Na t ions Development Programme (UNDP), i n a d d i t i o n t o SPC. P a r t i c i p a n t s a r e s e l e c t e d from nominat ions made by member governments, and a r e g i v e n t r a i n i n g i n t h e b a s i c s k i l l s r e q u i r e d by a f i s h e r i e s e x t e n s i o n o r s i m i l a r o f f i c e r , working l a r g e l y independen t ly a n d wi th l i m i t e d s u p p o r t . The 12 s t u d e n t s a t t e n d i n g t h i s y e a r ' s c o u r s e a r e from 12 d i f f e r e n t i s l a n d t e r r i t o r i e s , and a l l a r r i v e d i n Nelson i n e a r l y February t o commence t h e i r t r a i n i n g . The c o u r s e s y l l a b u s c o v e r s a wide range of p r a c t i c a l s k i l l s , i n c l u d i n g welding, t h e u s e o f f i b r e g l a s s , ou tboard motor maintenance, char twork and n a v i g a t i o n , n e t c o n s t r u c t i o n and mending, and maintenance of r e f r i g e r a t i o n equipment. The s t u d e n t s a l s o spend 2 weeks a t sea on commercial f i s h i n g v e s s e l s , and 3 weeks working i n a f i s h p r o c e s s i n g f a c t o r y , t o g a i n f i r s t - h a n d i n d u s t r i a l exper ience .

A f o r t u n a t e combinat ion of c i r c u m s t a n c e s h a s made i t p o s s i b l e t o i n c o r p o r a t e some a d d i t i o n a l t r a i n i n g i n t o t h e c o u r s e t h i s y e a r . The course would normally end on June b t h , bu t generous a s s i s t a n c e from t h e Government of F i j i and t h e United Nat ions Development Programme have made i t p o s s i b l e t o o r g a n i s e a n e x t r a months t r a i n i n g i n p r a c t i c a l small-boat f i s h i n g t e c h n i q u e s , under c o n d i t i o n s s i m i l a r t o t h o s e found i n t h e t r a i n e e s ' home c o u n t r i e s . Th i s i s a s u b j e c t a r e a which i t h a s no t been p o s s i b l e t o t r e a t i n New Zealand because geograph ica l and c l i m a t i c f e a t u r e s p reven t i t . Th i s y e a r , however, t h e Government of F i j i h a s k i n d l y o f f e r e d t h e use of f i s h i n g v e s s e l s , h o s t e l accommodation and o t h e r s u p p o r t f a c i l i t i e s f o r f o u r weeks i n J u n e and J u l y . A formal funding commitment by UNDP, confirmed i n mid-March, w i l l e n a b l e t h e s t u d e n t s t o t r a v e l v i a F i j i on t h e i r r e t u r n home, and t o s t a y f o r a months i n t e n s i v e p r a c t i c a l f i s h i n g t r a i n i n g i n Suva en r o u t e . P r a c t i c a l f i s h i n g w i l l be s u p e r v i s e d by SPC mas te r f i she rman Paul Mead who hopes t o be a b l e t o cover some a s p e c t s of smal l - sca le f i s h i n g around FADS i n a d d i t i o n t o deep-bottom f i s h i n g ( s e e page 2 ) . The s t u d e n t s w i l l a l s o be accompanied by t h e i r s e n i o r t u t o r from Nelson P o l y t e c h n i c , C a p t a i n A l a s t a i r Rober tson, who p l a n s t o

', i n c o r p o r a t e char twork and n a v i g a t i o n e x e r c i s e s and engine main tenance p r a c t i c e i n t o t h e f i s h i n g t r i p s , s o t h a t t h e s t u d e n t s can p u t t h e i r ' c l a s s r o o m ' t r a i n i n g t o use under t r u e working c o n d i t i o n s .

Recent F i s h e r i e s P u b l i c a t i o n s from SPC

Pub l i shed t h i s q u a r t e r were:

- SPC Handbook No. 23. A gu ide t o t h e Common Tuna B a i t f i s h e s of t h e South P a c i f i c Commission Area, by A.D. Lewis, B.R. Smith and C.P. El lway.

- Report on t h e Deep Sea F i s h e r i e s Development P r o j e c t s V i s i t t o t h e Republ ic of K i r i b a t i , by P a l e Taumaia and Mark Gen t le .

- Report on t h e Deep Sea F i s h e r i e s Development P r o j e c t s Second Vis i t t o t h e Republ ic of Vanuatu, by T. Fusimalohi and G.L. P res ton .

: NEWS FROM I N AND AROUND THE REGION

Seaweed grows on t h e P a c i f i c

The p o t e n t i a l of seaweed farming a s a p o s s i b l e v i l l a g e - l e v e l money e a r n e r i s now be ing i n v e s t i g a t e d i n s e v e r a l P a c i f i c c o u n t r i e s , a s w e l l a s o t h e r s o u t s i d e t h e r e g i o n , a s awareness of t h i s m a r i c u l t u r e a c t i v i t y grows.

SPC F i s h e r i e s News le t t e r No. 24 (January-March 1983) c a r r i e d a b r i e f r e p o r t of growth t r i a l s of t h e red a l g a e Eucheuma i n K i r i b a t i . T h i s p r o j e c t i s now going commercial a f t e r promis ing r e s u l t s from t h e 2-year e x p e r i m e n t a l work, which i n d i c a t e d t h a t a 200 gramme p l a n t w i l l grow t o 2 kg i n 2-3 months. The c u l t u r e t echn ique invo lves t y i n g f ragments of Eucheuma t o l i n e s s t r e t c h e d between s t a k e s d r i v e n i n t o t h e seabed i n calm, sha l low a r e a s . A f t e r a s u i t a b l e growth p e r i o d , t h e p l a n t s a r e h a r v e s t e d and l a i d o u t t o d ry i n t h e sun f o r s e v e r a l days on wire mesh racks . Once d r y , t h e v a l u e of t h e product i s g r e a t l y i n c r e a s e d i f t h e p l a n t s a r e washed and t h e n r e - d r i e d , a p r o c e s s which removes unwanted s a l t and o t h e r i m p u r i t i e s , and a c t u a l l y s e r v e s t o i n c r e a s e t h e c o n t e n t o r a v a i l a b i l i t y of u s a b l e compounds w i t h i n t h e d r i e d p l a n t m a t e r i a l . The v a l u e of t h e f i n a l product depends on t h e c a r e w i t h which i t h a s been d r i e d and packed, bu t i n d i c a t i v e p r i c e s a r e A$300-500 per tonne f o r unwashed seaweed, i n c r e a s i n g t o A$1000-1300 p e r tonne f o r washed, t o p - q u a l i t y product .

The K i r i b a t i F i s h e r i e s D i v i s i o n have i d e n t i f i e d abou t 200 h e c t a r e s of farmable a r e a on t h e s o u t h Tarawa l agoon , where they hope t o encourage a b o u t 30 f a m i l i e s t o s e t up seaweed farming v e n t u r e s by t h e end of t h i s y e a r . F u r t h e r

Seaweed cultivation strings in Tarawa lagoon.

The raw dried product (left), and after fresh water washing and re-drying (right).

sites and interested families are also being sought on other islands. Farming the seaweed is labour- rather than capital-intensive, with jobs such as planting out, harvesting, drying, and maintenance continually demanding the attention of the farmer. The Fisheries Division anticipate that a well-managed plot could yield an income of about A$40/week.

Similar experimental work on Eucheuma farming has been carried out at Ponape State in the Federated States of Micronesia over the past three years, and this too has entered the commercial phase, with the Government pilot project now supplying seedstock to a farming concern operated by a local youth group under sponsorship of the Economic Development Authority. The Government of Tonga has also embarked on an extension-oriented Eucheuma farming venture, with a commercial company, Coast Biologicals of New Zealand, providing technical backup in the areas of processing and marketing. Coast Biologicals is one of the few colloid manufacturers close to the SPC region. The company was originally considered a potential buyer of seaweed produced by Pacific Island countries, but is now becoming more closely involved in a number of current or proposed algae culture projects in the region. Coast Biologicals purchases most of its Eucheuma from the major producer, the Philippines, where production peaked at 15,000 tonnes in 1979, but is hoping to establish alternative sources of supply nearer home.

The commercial value of seaweeds lies mainly in their use as raw material for the manufacture of the colloids agar, alginate, carrageenan and furcellaran. Colloids are non-crystalline compounds used in the production of a variety of gelling and binding agent, gums, and coatings. The variety of end uses of these compounds is truly remarkable, ranging from photographic emulsions to pet foods, and ' from ice cream to welding rods. The Eucheuma species currently receiving attention in the Pacific are used in carrageenan production. The "INFOFISH Marketing Digest" No. 4/83 (p. 24) contains the following notes:

"Carrageenan is used mainly as a stabilising and gelatinising agent in food. The food sector accounts for nearly 70% of the world market for carrageenan. The food industries in developed countries, where carrageenan is used as a suspending, thickening and gelling agent, account for nearly all of this global demand. Japan uses about 20% (some 2 200 tons annually), while Western Europe and North America account for 25% each of global utilisation. The remainder is spread over the rest of the world, mainly developed countries.

As in food products, the use of carrageenan in non-food products, notably toothpaste, cosmetics and solid air fresheners, is based primarily on its thickening and stabilising properties. Air fresheners now account for the bulk of the market for carrageenan in the non-food sector, followed by toothpaste.

With regard to market expansion, the carrageenan industry depends heavily on new and more profitable applications. Its history has been characterised by the encroachment of substitutes. For example, its use in emulsion paints, a sizeable market 30 years ago, has now been completely replaced by carboxymethyl cellulo,se (CMC)."

Fiji's Ika Corporation commissions new pole-and-line boat

The Fiji Government-owned national tuna fishing company, Tka Corporation, took delivery of an addition to its pole-and-line fleet early in February. In a traditional Fijian ceremony of welcome, Mr Charles Walker, Minister for Primary Industry, took delivery of the Ika 8 on behalf of the Corporation. g is the second of a new generation of locally-built small

pole-and-line boats (see SPC Fisheries Newsletter No. 27, p. 16-17) to be purchased by the Corporation. The boat cost F$500,000, accommodates 22 crew and has a capacity of 35 tonnes of fish.

After a long history of economic difficulties, the Corporation claims to be 'galloping away from the gloom' according to General Manager Malcolm McGregor. A number of steps have recently been taken to improve the companys economic prospects, including rationalising the fleet by selling off or scuttling unprofitable vessels, and involvement in other fishing methods, particularly purse-seining, to enable exploitation of the outer regions of Fiji's 200 mile EEZ currently not utilised. A critical assessment of the Corporations economic performance and future options was also carried out by Fijis Central Planning Office and SPC Tuna Programme Co-ordinator, Dr Robert Kearney. Mr McGregor reports that changes to the system of crew payments were recommended and crew now receive a percentage of the proceeds and sale of the catch. The Corporation's head office has been relocated ip a position adjacent to the fishing jetty, enabling management and crew to meet and discuss problems more freely. The "team spirit" is being fostered, and crew members are said to have responded very positively, with great improvements in performance, productivity, self-discipline and morale. Ikas catches in the first three months of the current tuna season, which started in November, stood at around 900 tonnes, an encouraging start for the company's rationalised operation.

New Zealand reef blasting team to be disbanded

The New Zealand Coastal Works Programme, well known for its work in building or improving boat passages through the reefs of Pacific Island countries, is to disband in July 1984, after eight years service to coastal villages of the South Pacific.

In addition to blasting and clearing passages, the 'reef team' has undertaken a variety of other jobs, from the repair of wharves and water tanks to clearing coral heads dangerous to shipping. Since 1976 the team, which comprised five more or less permanent members plus short-term specialists, has worked in Tokelau, Western Samoa, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Cook Islands. Lately in 1983 the team were based at Fakaofo atoll in Tokelau, where .the task was to build a new channel 200 m long by 8 m wide to facilitate the transhipment of passengers and cargo across the otherwise virtually unbroken reef. Subsequently, they moved to Funafuti, Tuvalu, to assist in the construction of a new fishing wharf from prefabricated components. The team's last assignment, which commenced in February, is Kiribati. Here they are to build two canoe passages at North Tarawa, and improve channels at several other atolls, including Kiritimati (Christmas Island) where new fish ponds require a channel to the sea.

World's biggest marine park declared

The Federal Government of Australia has declared almost the entire Great Barrier Reef a marine park, making it the biggest marine conservation area in the world, with the declaration on October 30 of the final two sections

2 of the park, whose area, off the Queensland coast, is about 68 000 km (26 248 sq miles).

"The Great Barrier Reef is now protected for all time by its inclusion within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park," the Minister for Home Affairs and Environment, Mr Barry Cohen, said. "This park is by far the world' largest marine conservation reservation, covering an area of about 345 000 km 9 (133 170 sq miles)."

The director of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA), Dr Geoff Mosley, said on November 1 that the Park was now the most significant marine conservation reserve in the world, and that the announcement should make conservation-minded people everywhere take heart. "It showed us that the struggle is often long, but that persistence pays off," he said. "Conservationists had been working to protect the reef against mining for over 16 years." It was only until very recently that the previous Australian Government and the GBRMPA had said that it was not wise to declare the marine park over huge sections of the reef as has now been done.

Four-year artisanal fisheries development scheme for PNG (from a PNG Government press release)

A four-year village fisheries development project is to commence this year under the auspices of IFAD, the International Fund for Agricultural Development. IFAD is a United Nations Agency which provides low interest loans to support projects aimed at benefitting poorer, more isolated, or disadvantaged rural communities.

The IFAD Fisheries Project in PNG is a pilot village fisheries development scheme located in Milne Bay and the Delta area of Gulf Province. The main project objectives are:

(i) to increase incomes in remote fishing villages;

(ii) to improve food supplies from underutilised renewable fish resources;

(iii) to improve village fishing techniques and skills to create commercially attractive fishing and project operations;

(iv) to increase foreign exchange earnings through export of fish.

Specifically the project will upgrade the fish plants at Samarai, Kikori and Baimuru and will provide housing, new fish collection vessels and new fish handling and processing equipment. These major developments will be supported by the PNG Fish Marketing Corporation (marketing and improvement of fish quality), the PNG Development Bank (fishermen's credit), and Fisheries Department Headquarters, Kanudi (applied research on fishing vessels and gear and project co-ordination and monitoring).

Additional technical staff for maintenance and operation of equipment will be provided and a comprehensive training programme is planned for project staff. The main emphasis will be placed on increasing fish production and product quality and a strict cost benefit approach to project operations. Considerable effort will be aimed at developing new fishing gear and appropriate fishing boats leading to tried and tested 'credit packages' of fishing equipment for the fishermen.

The project has been allocated Kina 5.5 million over the 1984-87 period and will serve a total fishing population of about 14,300 people. Fish production is projected to increase from a present level of 270 tonnes per year to a maximum of 1,455 tonneslyear. The annual gross profit margin on sales has been estimated at K877,000/year by year 5 of the project.

Missing craft saga in Kiribati

The previous issue of the SPC Fisheries Newsletter (No. 27) carried an article about the ordeal of an I-Kiribati fisherman who drifted at sea for 36 days in his canoe after losing sight of land. Incidents of this kind are far from being rare, and the Government of Kiribati is now being assisted by New

Zealand i n t r y i n g t o counter the problem, a s described i n the fo l lowing , . a r t i c l e r e p r i n t e d from the December 1982 i s sue of 'Development ':

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"The K i r i b a t i Government i s tak ing urgent a c t i o n to s t o p fishermen going m i s s i n g . ' I n t h e f i r s t 10 months of 1983 a t o t a l of hS f i s h i n g c r a f t had gone missing, most of th'em from the main i s l and , Tarawa. Search-and-rescue a u t h o r i t i e s ' dan account fo r only about t h r e e - q u a r t e r s o f the c r a f t . "It's an appal l ing record," sa id M a r i n e Superintendent Be ia i t i 'H igh land . "We spent $50,000 on cal l -outs i n 1982 and i t looks a s i f we could top t h a t t h i s year."

. ~, .

The Government, he s a i d , had decided on two main courses o a c t i o n - t o supply small-boat s a f e t y equipment including loca to r beacons and f l a r e s , and t o run in t ens ive courses i n small-boat s a f e t y . New Zealand's b i l a t e r a l a i d programme i n Ki r iha t i is con t r ibu t ing about $20,000 towards the purchase of s a f e t y equipment, and i n October the Tarawa Technical I n s t i t u t e began running evening c l a s s e s i n bas ic naviga t ion , bas i c mechanics, small-boat safety and s u r v i v a l a t sea. Organised i n t o two-week courses , the c lasses were he ld a t the th ree main cen t r e s on South Tarawa - Bet io , Bai r ik i and Bikenibeu.

"Most cases of missing c r a f t involve South Tarawa fishermen who're too busy t r y i n g t o catch f i s h t o not ice they've l o s t s ight of land ," says M r Highland. "They've usual ly got outboard motors and t h a t makes them th ink they can go f a s t e r and f u r t h e r . But you don' t need t o go f a r from an a t o l l l i k e t h i s t o lo se your bearings. Turn your back and the land can disappear."

F i j i ' s "Fisherman Of The Year"

The winners of F i j i ' s "Fisherman of the Year" and "Fishing Group of t h e Year" competi t ions were announced by the Minister f o r Agriculture and F i s h e r i e s , Mr Jona t i Mavoa, e a r l y i n February. Organised by the F i she r i e s Divis ion , the competitions were he ld f o r the f i r s t time i n 1983, i n an attempt t o r a i s e publ ic awareness of the s i g n i f i c a n t r o l e t h a t fishermen play i n the n a t i o n a l development e f f o r t and i n l o c a l food production, and to show people t h a t f i s h i n g i s a worthwhile and p r o f i t a b l e occupation.

The winners were judged on t h e b a s i s of t h e competitors ' h i s t o r y of f i s h i n g opera t ions and success. Fac tors taken i n t o account included the length of time the fisherman had been ope ra t ing , t h e i r general progress, loan repayments, keeping of s a l e s and ca tch records , maintenance of equipment, and f u t u r e plans. The names of runner-up winners a t the Divisional leve l were a l so announced.

Fisherman Of The Year was Mr Salim Mohammed of Nausori, near Suva. Mr Mohammed has been f i s h i n g s ince 1965, and cu r ren t ly owns two boats of 16.5 m and 15 m LOA respec t ive ly and employs four crew members. He i s an experienced ne t fisherman who has e s t ab l i shed h i s own f r eeze r and cold s t o r e i n Nausori and has r ecen t ly opened a f i s h r e t a i l shop i n Suva. Mr Mohammed's p r i ze i s a r e tu rn a i r t i c k e t t o Hew Zealand, where he w i l l spend a month t r a v e l l i n g extens ive ly and observing the various aspec ts of New Zealand's f i s h i n g industry. Air P a c i f i c and New Zealand based Nelson F i s h e r i e s a re j o i n t l y donating the p r i ze , wi th Mr Mohammed's v i s i t being hosted by New Zealand's F i she r i e s Division.

Fishing Group Of The Year was Ratu Busa Fishing Group, of the Yasawa i s l a n d s t o the west of V i t i Levu. The group was e s t ab l i shed i n 1978 and i n 1979 received a F$5,500 loan t o purchase a 8.5 m f i sh ing vesse l . After f i sh ing fo r two yea r s , the loan was paid off i n 1981, and during t h i s year one member of

t h e group was s e l e c t e d t o a t t e n d t h e r u r a l f i s h e r i e s t r a i n i n g c o u r s e h e l d by t h e F i s h e r i e s Div i s ion i n Lami, e n a b l i n g t h e group t o upgrade t h e i r f i s h i n g t echn iques and improve t h e o v e r a l l o p e r a t i o n of t h e i r b u s i n e s s . I n 1982 they purchased a second 8.5 m b o a t , and have s i n c e added two f i b r e g l a s s p u n t s and a l a r g e f l e e t of n e t s t o t h e i r inves tments . The group h a s a l s o been commended f o r i t s a c t i o n i n promoting youth a c t i v i t i e s i n Yaqeta v i l l a g e by d o n a t i n g s p o r t i n g equipment. The g r o u p ' s p r i z e is a r e t u r n f l i g h t t o Levuka, F i j i , f o r one, and a 15 h.p. outboard motor, both donated by l o c a l companies.

Trochus t a g developed i n P a l a u

An e f f e c t i v e t a g g i n g method i s o f t e n an e s s e n t i a l p r e r e q u i s i t e t o s t u d i e s on growth, m o r t a l i t y , homing and m i g r a t i o n of b e n t h i c mar ine i n v e r t e b r a t e s . A r e c e n t a r t i c l e i n t h e j o u r n a l Aquacul ture ( H e s l i n g a , G.A., and 0. Orak, 1984. A permanent t a g f o r l a r g e mar ine g a s t r o p o d s . A q u a c u l t u r e 36: 169-172) r e p o r t s on t h e u s e of a cheap and e x c e p t i o n a l l y d u r a b l e t a g f o r commercial t r o c h u s s h e l l s . Developed by t h e s t a f f of t h e MMDC l a b o r a t o r y i n P a l a u , t h e t echn ique makes u s e of i n d i v i d u a l l y numbered aluminium washers which a r e a t t a c h e d t o t h e l ip of t h e s h e l l w i t h a pop r i v e t i n g t o o l . Once s e t , t h e r i v e t and t a g a r e secure and v i r t u a l l y imposs ib le t o remove. A f t e r s e v e r a l days t h e t rochus mant le s e c r e t e s a smooth l a y e r of s h e l l over t h e n e a r l y f l a t head of the r i v e t , f u r t h e r anchor ing i t i n p lace .

A commercial trochus shell ta ed through the lip with a pop rivet and number$aluminium washer.

The t a g s c o s t about US f o u r c e n t s each and can be a t t a c h e d a t t h e r a t e of 120 per hour. Trochus tagged and r e l e a s e d i n P a l a u more t h a n two y e a r s ago a r e s t i l l r e a d i l y i d e n t i f i a b l e , w i t h no ev idence of t a g l o s s o r defacement i n a growth s t u d y i n v o l v i n g over 1200 tagged specimens. The method works e q u a l l y w e l l on o t h e r l a r g e g a s t r o p o d s . R e p r i n t s and t a g samples a r e a v a i l a b l e from t h e MMDC, P.O. Box 359, Koror, P a l a u , 96940. The work i s b e i n g funded by t h e P a c i f i c F i s h e r i e s Development Foundat ion and t h e Government of Palau.

Introduced Species Handbook in preparation

Professor Lu Eldredge of the University of Guam and Dr John Pernetta, Dean of the Faculty of Science, University of Pspua New Guinea are working as part of the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) team to produce a handbook on introduced species of the Pacific region. SPREP is based at SPC headquarters in Noumea.

Introduced species are organisms which are found in areas where they do not naturally occur, having been brought, either intentionally 'or accidentally, by man. The results of 'introductions' are varied. In some cases there has been little impact on the new area, in others the introduced animal has become a valuable commercial and agricultural resource. However all too often, the effect has led to the extinction of existing native species.

Documentation relating to introduced species however is scant in this region. SPREP hopes to fill this gap with the proposed handbook which will record information on introductions of all terrestrial and marine animals (excluding insects); namely date of introduction, number and location of released specimens, impact on the surrounding environment, maps of animal movements and, where possible, photographs to assist in identification and serve as warnings for geographic areas where these species are not yet known.

Preparation of the handbook has already commenced and is expected to take about a year to complete. Further information from Or L.G. Eldredge, University of Guam Marine Laboratory, UOG Station, Mangilao, Guam 96913.

Catholic church revives 'Fish on Friday' ruling

The new code of canon law of the Roman Catholic Church, which came into force at the end of November 1983, requires Catholics to abstain from eating meat on Fridays, unless the local bishops' conference in individual countries substitutes an alternative practice.

In countries where this ruling is adopted unchanged, it is likely to have an immediate and sustained impact on fish sales, particularly in its fresh form. This is likely to be especially true in those countries where Catholics form a majority of the population. In many European countries which have seen a steady decline in the sale of fresh fish since the abolition of the 'fish on Friday' rule in the mid-1960s, it is hoped that this move will provide a boost to the fresh fish trade. However it is not yet clear which countries will adopt the new ruling and which will opt for some other measure to meet the Vatican's requirements.

Whatever the decisions of the national bishops' conferences in individual countries, the Vatican is not insisting that all the new canon rules should necessarily be adopted immediately. This will allow local churches more time to prepare their followers for the introduction of whatever form of penance they finally choose to adopt.

Re-introduction of giant clams to Yap

As part of a programme aimed at re-establishing giant clams in Yap State of the Federated States of Micronesia the Yap Marine Resources Division has recently carried out an experimental planting of 1000 Tridacna derasa. The clams were reared at the Micronesian Mariculture Demonstration Center (MMDC) in Palau, and during their direct flight from Koror to Yap by scheduled carrier were out of the water for less than 3 and a half hours. The clams were 15 months old and averaged 84 mm in length at the time of planting. After three weeks at the new site there has only been one mortality.

The clams are being on-grown on the wet (sheltered) site of Yap proper, on the shallow, sandy lagoon floor, using techniques developed at MMDC. The animals are being held on a gravel substrate in shallow fibreglass trays (6Ox50x5cm), at a density of 50 clams per tray. A strong lid of 3 cm plastic mesh is used to exclude large predators. The clams will. begin to reach sexual maturity in about two years.

Society of Indo-West Pacific fisheries scientists proposed

A number of fisheries scientists and researchers from Asian and Pacific countries have expressed support for the proposal to establish a forum to facilitate a regular interaction among those dealing with fisheries and aquaculture research and development in the region. The forum is intended to be a gathering where broad issues and specific topics on fisheries can be discussed, where scientists can speak in their professional capacities in an apolitical atmosphere, and where contributions from the scientific community of the region are received and assessed.

The idea of a regular forum for fisheries and aquaculture scientists has been considered for some time but the problem of ensuring continuity has been daunting. Nevertheless, the growing enthusiasm around the region prompted the International Centre for Living Aquatic Resource Management (ICLARM) to distribute a forum proposal. On the basis of the many enthusiastic responses, a group of scientists met at ICLARM last May. That group endorsed the proposal and agreed that the geographic scope of such a forum should encompass the many countries within the Indo-West Pacific zone. However since this was not a cohesive name as far as communities of nations were concerned, the term Asian Fisheries Forum was chosen.

The forum proposal also called for the formation of a committee to begin planning forum meetings and various associated matters, one of which was the suggestion of forming a Society to further unite the region's fishery scientists and to ensure the Forum's permanency. The group that met in Manila became that committee, unanimously adopted the idea of a society, the "Asian Fisheries Society", and assumed the title "Foundation Council for the Proposed Asian Fisheries Society". The Foundation Council's functions are to organise the first Forum meeting, which has been proposed to be held in early 1986, and to seek funds for the Forum/Society and associated publications. The proposed Society's objectives are an extension of those of the Forum: to encourage interaction between scientists, exchange of information and publication of research; to strengthen co-operation between institutions; to focus attention on the importance of wise use of resources; and to create an awareness of the importance of fisheries in the region. In addition, the Society could play a variety of roles in co-operation with similar national and international societies and institutions.

Fish schools: an asset to corals (from Wallaceana: June 1983)

Schools of juvenile haemulid fish (grunts, family Pomadasyidae) feed in sea grass beds at night. By day they rest over coral heads, where they excrete substantial quantities of ammonium and particulate nitrogen and phosphorus into the nutrient-poor waters. The percentages of these nutrients contributed by the fish were comparable to those from other sources. Coral heads with resident fish schools grew faster than those without resident schools, indicating that fish may be more beneficial to the corals than has been assumed. Meyer, J.L. et al. in SCIENCE 220: 1047-1048 (1983).

Traditional marine management in the Pacific - true or f w

The following thought-provoking article by Dr Gary A. Klee, (of the Department of Environmental Studies, School of Social Sciences, San Jose- State University, USA), appeared in Volume 4 No. 7-9 (July/September 1983) of the "gulletin of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature".

"THE WEALTH OF TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE

Many South Pacific islanders possess a wealth of environmental expertise, including traditional systems of resource management. Traditional conservation practices of many South Pacific cultures were once highly effective, and, if supported by or adapted to modern methods, could continue to be so.

Marine conservation in Oceania is more widespread than all other forms of traditional conservation practice - as one might expect of an area whose people mostly live along the margins of the sea. In most areas of the Pacific, fishing, the gathering of shellfish, the hunting of different kinds of sea mammals and the capture of turtles have long constituted an important source of protein to supplement a diet of terrestrial plants and animals. In the past, these aquatic resources were safeguarded by a variety of means: a high degree of environmental awareness; skilled conservation office-holders and master fishermen; a complex system of marine tenure; a variety of magico-religious taboos, enforced by strict fines and punishment, and a variety of methods to conserve a supply of sea foods.

Environmental knowledge was central to most forms of traditional conservation practice in Oceania. The native islanders lived of necessity close to nature and knew how to analyse the diurnial, monthly, and seasonal cycles of their environment. To the Polynesians, Micronesians, and Melanesians, the heavens and the phases of nature served as a clock or calendar. The position of the sun, the rising and setting of the stars, the waxing and waning of the moon, the ebb and flow of the tide, the changing wind directions, the height of the breakers on the reef, the natural smells within the village, the seasonal variances of terrestrial flora and fauna, and the aquatic cycles all served as a system of time reckoning, and, consequently, played a major role in the understanding of life histories, mating seasons, habitat requirements, and other basic knowledge of the plants and animals with which they shared their environment.

Thanks to this high degree of environmental awareness, many island cultures were able to regulate their harvest and use of wild plants and animals on a sustained yield basis. Daily activities were geared to the cycles of nature. Fishing, that most cyclical of human activities, was carried out according to the reading of the heavens as well as the phases of nature. The moon, tides, stars, and fish migrations had a direct bearing on the movement and activities of island fishermen.

WHAT CAN WE SAVE?

These older, long-standing systems of conservation and resource management have much to teach the modern-day resource manager. First and,foremost, he can heighten his own awareness of the local environment by mentally combining two culturally different temporal frameworks. By using his own system of time-reckoning (the Swiss watch and the Gregorian calendar) with that of the indigenous culture's system (the movement of the sun, moon, stars, tides, and so on), , the modern-day resource manager can see the phases of nature in a new perspective.

To be more s p e c i f i c , t h e w e s t e r n mar ine b i o l o g i s t can l e a r n a v a r i e t y of types of i n f o r m a t i o n , such a s t h e l u n a r p e r i o d i c i t y of t h e spawning of f i s h ; t h e l o c a t i o n and t r a d i t i o n a l r e g u l a t i o n of marine p r e s e r v e s ; t h e f i s h i n g grounds used by a p a r t i c u l a r v i l l a g e ; t h e e f f e c t of r a i n f a l l , w i n d s , c u r r e n t s and t empera tu re on f i s h i n g c o n d i t i o n s and t h e h a b i t s of c e r t a i n f i s h ; t h e t imes , p l a c e s , and seasons o f f e r i n g optimum f i s h i n g c o n d i t i o n s ; t h e v a r i a t i o n s i n f i s h h a b i t s and m i g r a t i o n p e c u l i a r t o d i f f e r e n t i s l a n d s and d i f f e r e n t p a r t s of t h e c o a s t s of l a r g e r i s l a n d s ; t h e d i s t r i b u t i o n of t o x i c p l a n t s t h a t might r ender f i s h poisonous; t h e t r a d i t i o n a l r e g u l a t i o n s r e g a r d i n g f i s h i n g r i g h t s ; c l o s e d s e a s o n s ; s p e c i f i c i d e n t i t y ; t h e optimum days f o r e x e r c i s i n g p a r t i c u l a r f i s h i n g r i g h t s ; t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n and p roper u s e of t r a p s and ponds f o r f i s h c o n s e r v a t i o n ; t h e v a r i o u s methods of f i s h p r e s e r v a t i o n ; t h e t r a d i t i o n a l c o n s e r v a t i o n e t h i c and i t s enforcement by f i n e s and punishment.

L i t t l e t i m e remains t o i d e n t i f y , r e c o r d , and p r e s e r v e some of t h e s e t r a d i t i o n a l systems of c o n s e r v a t i o n management: they s h o u l d be r e s p e c t e d , emulated, and where p o s s i b l e p r e s e r v e d , no t t h o u g h t l e s s l y r e p l a c e d . "

Shrimp s t o c k assessment conducted i n Nor the rn Marianas

The January Monthly Repor t of t h e Southwest F i s h e r i e s C e n t e r ' s Honolulu Laboratory d e s c r i b e s p r e l i m i n a r y assessment work c u r r e n t l y b e i n g under taken on s t o c k s of t h e deepwater shr imp Hete rocarpus l a e v i g a t u s i n t h e Mariana Archipelago. The f i e l d work f o r t h e s t u d y , which c o n s i s t s of i n t e n s i v e f i s h i n g i n a c o n t r o l a r e a i s i n t e n d e d t o p rov ide e s t i m a t e s of e x p l o i t a b l e deepwater shr imp biomass. D r S tephen R a l s t o n , Chief S c i e n t i s t on t h e NOAA s h i p Townsend Cromwell spent 15 days of i n t e n s i v e shrimp t r a p p i n g t o t a l l i n g 300 t r a p - n i g h t s of e f f o r t on an i s o l a t e d a r e a of 1 square n a u t i c a l m i l e i n d e p t h s of 545-727 m (300-400 fa thoms) n o r t h of Alamagan I s l a n d i n t h e Marianas . Over t h e p e r i o d of i n t e n s i v e f i s h i n g a s t a t i s t i c a l l y s i g n i f i c a n t d e c l i n e i n c a t c h r a t e from 3.4 k g l t r a p - n i g h t t o 1 .8 k g l t r a p - n i g h t was documented. A r e g r e s s i o n of c a t c h r a t e on cumula t ive c a t c h produced an e s t i m a t e of 1 ,700 kg of e x p l o i t a b l e shrimp biomass p e r s q u a r e n a u t i c a l m i l e a t t h e s t a r t of i n t e n s i v e t r a p p i n g . With t h i s e s t i m a t e of b iomass , t h e e s t i m a t e of c a t c h a b i l i t y a l s o o b t a i n e d from i n t e n s i v e f i s h i n g , d a t a on t h e s y s t e m a t i c mapping of c a t c h r a t e s f o r deepwater shrimp, and b a t h y m e t r i c s u r v e y s which measure t h e t o t a l shr imp h a b i t a t , i t w i l l be p o s s i b l e t o e s t i m a t e t h e t o t a l s t a n d i n g s t o c k of - H. l a e v i g a t u s i n t h e Mariana Arch ipe lago .

New f i s h e r i e s p r o j e c t s f o r Tonga

Severa l f i s h e r i e s p r o j e c t s f i n a n c e d by o v e r s e a s a i d a r e n e a r i n g complet ion i n t h e Ha 'apai and Vava'u i s l a n d group i n Tonga, a c c o r d i n g t o a r e p o r t i n t h e January 2 7 t h i s s u e of 'South Seas D i g e s t ' . A f i s h e r i e s c e n t r e a t Pangai i n H a ' a p a i , c o s t i n g $T200,000, and i n c l u d i n g o f f i c e s , f i s h s t o r a g e f a c i l i t i e s and s l e e p i n g q u a r t e r s , h a s been b u i l t wi th funds from t h e A u s t r a l i a n Government. A boatyard and dockyard a r e a l s o being b u i l t i n Ha 'apai and f a c i l i t i e s w i l l inc lude m a t e r i a l s f o r t h e b u i l d i n g of f i s h i n g d i n g h i e s f o r l o c a l f i she rmen who w i l l be f i n a n c e d by l o a n s from t h e Development Bank of Tonga, f i n a n c e d i n t u r n by t h e Uni ted Nat ions C a p i t a l Development Fund (UNCDF). F o r t y d i n g h i e s and a dockyard be ing b u i l t on t h e Neiafu w a t e r f r o n t i n Vava'u a r e t o be funded by t h e UNCDF through t h e Uni ted Nat ions Development Programme (UNDP) based i n Suva. A40- tonne f i s h s t o r a g e f a c i l i t y , a lmost r eady t o o p e r a t e , h a s been f inanced from a l o a n of $200,000 from t h e Asian Development l ank . S e v e r a l a r e a s i n Vava'u have been chosen a s p o t e n t i a l s i t e s f o r seaweed farming under a p lan r e c e i v i n g f i n a n c i a l backing from t h e Commonwealth Fund f o r Techn ica l Co-operation w i t h t e c h n i c a l a s s i s t a n c e from New Zealand ( s e e page 5 ) .

c o n s t r u c t i o n of f i b r e g l a s s boats without a mould

The following a r t i c l e appeared i n the September 1983 i s sue of the 'South-West I n d i a n , Ocean F i she r i e s B u l l e t i n ' . The f i b r e g l a s s boat-building technique described i s s imple, waste-free, requi res no power too l s , and could ho ld p o t e n t i a l fo r one-off boat-building i n remote a reas .

"The normal method of cons t ruc t ion of f i b r e g l a s s boats involves lamination of f i b r e g l a s s mat or c l o t h (roving) wi th r e s i n in s ide a mould. While, through t h e use of a good mould, a pe r fec t f i n i s h can be obtained i n t h i s way, the c o n s t r u c t i o n of the mould i s a long and laborious process, and the cos t of a mould i s such tha t i t i s genera l ly es t imated tha t i t should be amortized over a t l e a s t t e n boats.

A more recent method permi t t ing 'one o f f ' cons t ruc t ion involves the use of f i b r e g l a s s 'p lanks ' (commercially known a s C-flex), which can be l a i d up on b a t t e n moulds before wet t ing with r e s i n . While t h i s method i s strong and can be used f o r complex curves, a major inconvenience i s t h a t the outer sur face has t o be ground smooth and painted a f t e r cons t ruc t ion . This r equ i re s power t o o l s , and i t i s d i f f i c u l t t o ob ta in a pe r fec t f i n i s h .

A t h i r d method of cons t ruc t ion has r e c e n t l y been experimented with i n the Seyche l l e s , which o f f e r s the p o s s i b i l i t y of cons t ruc t ion i n l imi ted numbers without the need for a mould. This method was used a t the suggestion of SWIOP consu l t an t naval a r c h i t e c t Oyvind Gulbrandsen following a desc r ip t ion i n the magazine 'Nat ional Fisherman', but had previously a l s o been used by a F lor ida boa tbu i lde r .

This method involves the use of f l a t f i b reg la s s shee t s , and does s u f f e r from one l i m i t a t i o n : cons t ruc t ion of compound curves is impossible, a s a sheet of f i b r e g l a s s , j u s t a s a shee t of paper o r plywood, cannot be bent i n two d i r e c t i o n s . Of i n t e r e s t t o boa tbu i lde r s of the reg ion , however, i s t h a t cons t ruc t ion c o s t s and wastage of m a t e r i a l s i s neg l ig ib l e , and tha t power t o o l s a r e not e s s e n t i a l .

The f i r s t s t ep involves the cons t ruc t ion of frames from any ava i l ab le wood having the required dimensions ( i n t h i s case o ld packing cases were used). These frames a re placed upside down on a bui lding j i g and held together with long i tud ina l ba t tens a t the sheer and between the chine and kee l , leaving these two a r e a s f r e e .

Following the method described i n t h e 'National Fisherman', templates were then cut from 'formica' (melamine) s h e e t s , on which the FRP ( f i b r e g l a s s r e in fo rced p l a s t i c ) shee t s were a f te rwards moulded. It was found, however, t h a t formica breaks very e a s i l y when handled, and any t ea r or r i p p l e i n the template w i l l be reproduced on the FRP shee ts . It was therefore found p re fe rab le t o make templates from 4 mm plywood or masonite s h e e t s , and mark out the shape of the panels with a f e l t pen on a moulding ' t a b l e ' having a pe r fec t ly f l a t , shiny sur face (melamine-covered plywood, waxed masonite ..... ).

One s i d e and bottom FRP panel was then made following the shape of the templates. The lay-up used was: gel c o a t , one 450 g mat, and two 600 g rovings. After these panels were removed, those f o r the opposi te s ide were moulded on t h e i r shiny face to produce a 'mirror image*.

The s i d e and bottom panel f o r one s i d e of the boat were then tacked onto the frames with small n a i l s , and, the chine having been adjusted (FRP can e a s i l y be cu t with a hacksaw blade) , s tuck together with s t r i p s of f i b r e g l a s s mat i n the spaces between the frames. The second bottom panel was then s tuck i n the same manner along the kee l l i n e , followed by the second s ide ( i n t h i s way

working inside the overturned hull was reduced to a minimum).

The assembled hull could then be turned over for building up the laminate to the required thickness in the same way as working inside a mould. It has to be held in the jig at this stage as it is still very flexible. When terminated, the sheer and keel lines have to be polished down and painted over with gel coat to fill slight gaps and give faired edges. The inner reinforcement and deck can then he made as normal.

Construction of two 7.5 m hulls for a trimaran totalled some 24 man-hours of carpentry and 48 man-hours of fibreglass work. These times could have been reduced if the technique was familiar, but are still minimal as compared with wooden construction. It has been proposed that this technique could be used to prepare prefabricated panels for shipping and assembly on site, but it is not likely that the saving in time and effort would compensate the additional cost of shipping boat-length panels."

Ecosystem modelling computer package developed

A general modelling package for coral reef ecosystems, 'ECOPATH', has been developed at the Southwest Fisheries Center's Honolulu Laboratory by research workers Dr Jeffrey T. Polovina and Mark D. Ow. A computer programme in BASIC has been written to enable the model to be used on microcomputers. A user's handbook, which contains the programme listing, is available from the laboratory as Administrative Report H-83-23.

The ECOPATH model is an analytical procedure to estimate a biomass budget for a box model of an ecosystem given inputs which specify the components of the ecosystem, together with their mortality, diet, and energetics value. The model produces estimates of mean annual biomass, annual biomass production, and annual biomass consumption for each of the user specified species groups. The species groups represent aggregations of species with similar diet and life history characteristics and which have a common physical habitat. The ECOPATH model is not a simulation model with a time component as are some more complex ecosystem models. It estimates a biomass budget for the marine ecosystem in a static situation under the assumption that the ecosystem is at equilibrium conditions. Since its input needs are relatively simple, ECOPATH can be useful in modelling ecosystems where detailed data are scarce, often true in studies of tropical ecosystems.

Interested users should contact the authors at Southwest Fisheries Center Honolulu Laboratory, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, Honolulu, Hawaii 96812.

Sorry, our mistake

The editors shamefacedly confess full responsibility for a reporting error which occurred in the last issue of the SPC Fisheries Newsletter ( # 27). The offending article, entitled New Japanese aid vessel for Kiribati, announced formalisation of an agreement by Japan to donate to Kiribati an A$2 million pole-and-line boat. ~iribati ~isheries Adviser Brendan Dalley put us right with the following telex message:

"RE FISHERIES NEWSLETTER OCTOBER DECEMBER 1983 PAGE 7 AID VESSEL FOR KIRIBATI THIS POLE AND LINE VESSEL REVOLUTIONARY DESIGN CARRYING 65 PASSENGERS PLUS 400 TONS CARGO PLUS 12 CADETS AS WITH NE1 MOMI CATCH MOSTLY COPRA REGARDS DALLEY . "

SPC F i s h e r i e s N e w s l e t t e r No. 28 January - March 1983

THE TUVALU VAKA PROJECT

by

S t e v e n A. Brown Save The C h i l d r e n F u n a f u t i , Tuvalu

Small s a i l i n g canoes a r e a common s i g h t on t h e lagoon i s l a n d s of Tuvalu . However, t h e wooden l o g s used i n c a r v i n g t h e dugout h u l l s a r e becoming i n c r e a s i n g l y s c a r c e .

The "Vaka" P r o j e c t , funded by Save The C h i l d r e n , began i n A p r i l 1983, a f t e r 2 y e a r s of p l a n n i n g by J a c k L o c k e t t , Tuvalu F i e l d D i r e c t o r f o r Save The C h i l d r e n , and Windworkboat c o n s u l t a n t J i m Brown. Th i s p i l o t p r o j e c t i s in tended t o t r a i n Tuvaluans i n t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n of e f f i c i e n t s a i l i n g c r a f t needed f o r i n t r a - l a g o o n t r o l l i n g and t r a n s p o r t a t i o n . The need a r o s e a s a n a l t e r n a t i v e means of t r a n s p o r t i n g people and h a r v e s t i n g coconuts o u t on t h e un inhab i t ed motus d o t t i n g t h e l a r g e lagoon. I n F u n a f u t i , where p e t r o l c o s t s A$4 per g a l l o n , t r a n s p o r t a t i o n i s a n expens ive problem, e s p e c i a l l y when, because of a dry-docked supp ly s h i p , f u e l i s no t a v a i l a b l e .

Now, i n F u n a f u t i a t l e a s t , t a l l s a i l s can be seen c r o s s i n g t h e lagoon. The b o a t s a r e b u i l t u s i n g pro-laminated wooden p a n e l s formed i n a cu rved , b o a t - l i k e shape. A f t e r j o i n i n g two 16 f o o t p a n e l s t o g e t h e r w i t h epoxy and a p a n e l b u t t b l o c k , t h e wooden s h e e t i s trimmed w i t h a power saw t o a p rede te rmined shape. A t h i n f i b r e g l a s s t empla te i s made u s i n g t h e panel a s a mould, t h e n popped i n s i d e o u t t o mark t h e mating h a l f of t h e h u l l . Sheer s t i f f e n e r s a r e g lued on, wood s e a l e d w i t h c l e a r epoxy, and now t h e h a l v e s a r e r eady t o be wired t o g e t h e r down t h e k e e l and stems. Once t h e beam measurement h a s been de te rmined , t h e o v e r t u r n e d h u l l i s s e t r i g i d w i t h f i b r e g l a s s "bandaids" e v e r y 3 f e e t . The g l u e becomes hard i n h a l f a n hour , and t h e h u l l i s t u r n e d u p r i g h t . An e p o x y - f i l l e r k e e l i s then t r o w e l l e d i n t o t h e apex of t h e h u l l and f i b r e g l a s s c l o t h t a p e l a i d i n f o r s t r e n g t h . A f t e r t h i s s e t s , t h e wire i s removed, k e e l sanded and g l a s s e d , and a hardwood " ree fc runcher" screwed i n p l a c e . The advan tages of t h i s f r a m e l e s s h u l l a r e : reduced c o n s t r u c t i o n time (one 32 f o o t h u l l can be completed i n 2 days w i t h 3 t r a i n e e s ) ; epoxy coa ted and glued h u l l s a r e r o t f r e e ; and a l s o t h e a b i l i t y t o c o n s t r u c t a v a r i e t y of d i f f e r e n t b o a t s i z e s and shapes from t h e same m a t e r i a l w i t h o u t t h e t r a i n i n g c o m p l i c a t i o n s of l o f t i n g , moulds, o r frames. A major d i s a d v a n t a g e however i s t h e h i g h c o s t of s h i p p i n g from o v e r s e a s t o F u n a f u t i . T h i s drawback, common w i t h most development p r o j e c t s i s j u s t i f i e d by t h e d u r a b i l i t y and l o n g e v i t y of the b o a t s .

Our f i r s t p r o t o t y p e , b u i l t i n 4 and a h a l f weeks, i s a 32 f o o t Windward O u t r i g g e r "Vaka" based on l o c a l d e s i g n s . I s a v e ( f l y i n g f i s h ) a s she i s c a l l e d , i s modi f i ed w i t h 2 daggerboards t o i n c r e a s e windward performance. She a l s o s p o r t s a sock s a i l ( t h e c l o t h is sewn around t h e s p a r t o form a wing shape) which enhances wind flow. I n t r i a l s t h i s c r a f t proved ve ry f a s t y e t became hard t o manoeuvre under s t e e r i n g paddle a l o n e , due i n p a r t t o h e r high p r i s m a t i c underbody and a l s o because of t h e l o c a l method of s h i f t i n g the s a i l from one end t o a n o t h e r t o change d i r e c t i o n s . T h i s problem was somewhat c o r r e c t e d by t h e twin daggerboards . I s a v e is fun t o s a i l , and h a s now been

donated t o t h e i s l a n d of Nukufetau where t h e l o c a l s a i l o r s a r e h a n d l i n g t h i s type of c r a f t .

s k i l l e d i n

The second p r o j e c t , a ca tamaran , was o r i g i n a l l y d e s i g n e d a s a f i s h i n g v e s s e l . A f t e r c l o s e s c r u t i n y i t was dec ided t h a t F u n a f u t i r e a l l y needed a s a i l i n g lagoon t a x i capab le of c a r r y i n g many peop le and coconu t s . T h i s 33 f o o t c a t h a s kick-up rudders and boards f o r beach l and ing and b o a r d i n g of passengers , and two enc losed c a b i n s w i t h two b e r t h s each t o p r o v i d e s h e l t e r dur ing t h e f r e q u e n t r a i n s q u a l l s . She i s equipped w i t h 2 head s a i l s , a l i g h t - a i r s genoa and a s torm j i b , companioned by a l a r g e main. A l l s a i l s were sewn l o c a l l y . I n t imes of no wind, a 22 h.p. Volvo ou tboard h e l p s meet a busy c h a r t e r schedu le . Groups embark e a r l y i n t h e morning f o r a f u l l day of s a i l i n g , f i s h i n g and coconut h a u l i n g . The o t h e r day, a l o c a l c a p t a i n and crew s a i l e d 30 people 4 miles t o Funafa la and r e t u r n e d w i t h 35 gunnysacks f u l l of coconu t s . A s t h e sun f e l l , everyone sang and s l e p t whi le t h e c a t loped a l o n g a t 6 k n o t s .

The second boat built by the project, a 33-foot motor-sailing catamaran.

While b u i l d i n g t h e s e two b o a t s , l o c a l f i she rmen k e p t i n s i s t i n g

-. X

8 ¡ 4 . . 0 0 -c 0,

they would buy s m a l l e r padd l ing canoes . So a g a i n , a f t e r a few p r o t o t y p e s , we s e t t l e d on 2 s t y l e s . F l a t bottom and rounded V bottom. The f l a t bottom model i s b u i l t w i t h 3/16" plywood t h r o u g h o u t , w i t h a n 8" wide dory- l ike bottom. These 16 f o o t e r s a r e a l l made from 2 s h e e t s of plywood. The completed canoe, f r a m e l e s s , weighs around 40 l b s . Some f i she rmen a p p r e c i a t e be ing a b l e t o s t a n d on t h e bottom, which makes h a u l i n g f i s h e a s i e r . The rounded V bottom i s b u i l t u s i n g 1/8" plywood. Two h a l v e s a r e wired down t h e k e e l and s p r e a d open a t a wide ang le . An e p o x y - f i l l e r k e e l i s b u t t e r e d i n and l e f t t o s e t a t ~ t h i s a n g l e . Then t h e s i d e s a r e b e n t up o r " t o r t u r e d " . The stems a r e g lued , t h e w i r e c l i p p e d o f f , and t h e t h i n rounded h u l l i s g lazed w i t h 7 and a h a l f oz . c l o t h . T h i s makes a very l i g h t , a e s t h e t i c a l l y p l e a s i n g canoe.

Th i s h a s become t h e most s u c c e s s f u l s i d e of t h e p r o j e c t s o f a r . Of t h e 7 canoes b u i l t , most have been s o l d . Over a ~ e r i o d of 7 months o u r crew of 4 t r a i n e e s have become ~ r o f i c i e n t i n r u n n i n g power t o o l s , h a n d l i n g epoxy f i b r e g l a s s i n g , b u t most of a l l , n a t u r a l l y , s a i l i n g .

The author with one of the projects popular canoes.

Our most recent p r o j e c t , a 24-foot c a t , i s being b u i l t fo r an egg producer who l i v e s on Falefeke, a motu 5 miles from market. This c r a f t , near complet ion, requi red l i t t l e supervision. A l l p r o f i t s a r e reinvested i n t o m a t e r i a l s and maintenance.

The goal here i s t o provide a se rv ice t h a t i s s e l f perpetuat ing and s e l f r e l i a n t , o f f e r i n g Tuvalu people an opt ion beyond pe t ro l dependant t r anspor t . The sea-borne c u l t u r e of Tuvalu, given t h e i r ances tora l h e r i t a g e , seems well su i t ed t o absorbing t h e i r o l d p r inc ip l e s of s a i l combined with the new methods of s a i l technology. This is apparent by the g r a t i f i c a t i o n beaming from the Polynesian b u i l d e r ' s face a s h i s s leek c r e a t i o n h i t s the water at launching or when s a i l i n g over s t eep swe l l s , the e x h i l a r a t i n g r i d e in sp i r ing passengers t o s ing and shout while schools of dolphin guide them home.

SPC F i s h e r i e s N e w s l e t t e r No. 28 January-March 1984

DEEP-BOTTOM FISHING I N VANUATU: INITIAL RESULTS -

by F r a n c o i s Brouard and Rene Grandper r in

O f f i c e de l a Recherche S c i e n t i f i q u e et Technique d1Outre-Mer P o r t V i l a , Vanuatu

I n t r o d u c t i o n

As Vanuatu h a s been a c t i v e l y developing t h e f i s h i n g of deep bottom s p e c i e s s i n c e 1982, i t seems t h e t ime h a s come t o draw p r e l i m i n a r y c o n c l u s i o n s and endeavour t o de te rmine what degree of f i s h i n g p r e s s u r e t h i s r e s o u r c e would be a b l e t o s u s t a i n .

The Vanuatu a r c h i p e l a g o comprises e i g h t y i s l a n d s and l i e s between 13's and 20's approx imate ly . The o u t e r r e e f s l o p e i s r e l a t i v e l y s t e e p , s o t h a t t h e a r e a of wa te r t h a t c a n be f i s h e d (dep th between 100 and 400 m e t r e s ) i s f a i r l y narrow. For t h e whole a r c h i p e l a g o , t h e a r e a of t h e s e a bottom between 100 and 400 m deep i s e s t i m a t e d a t 736,000 ha and t h e s l o p e h a s a n a v e r a g e g r a d i e n t of 10%; t h e t o t a l l e n g t h of t h e 100m i s o b a t h i s 1 ,400 n a u t i c a l m i l e s (2,600 km).

The F i s h e r y : d a t a c o l l e c t i o n and f i n d i n g s

Around E f a t e , a l a r g e p o r t i o n of t h e deep bottom f i s h c a t c h i n t e n d e d f o r s a l e i n P o r t Vi la i s made by t h e F i s h e r i e s Department, and i t i s t o t h a t Department t h a t we owe t h e major p a r t of t h e i n f o r m a t i o n we have t o d a t e . ( S e v e r a l f i s h e r i e s development o p e r a t i o n s a r e a l s o under way i n t h e o t h e r i s l a n d s of Vanuatu and we have developed a s i m p l i f i e d system of d a t a c o l l e c t i o n from them i n o r d e r t o o b t a i n i n f o r m a t i o n f o r t h e whole of Vanuatu) .

A t Por t Vila, when t h e c a t c h i s l anded , c a t c h and e f f o r t d a t a a r e c a r e f u l l y r ecorded ; a l l t h e f i s h a r e i d e n t i f i e d , measured and weighed; s e x and sexua l m a t u r i t y a r e no ted and gonads a r e weighed; t h e s a g i t t a l o t o l i t h s and some s c a l e s of t h e medio-dorsal a r e a a r e taken a s samples. A f t e r coding, t h i s i n f o r m a t i o n i s t r a n s f e r r e d t o l o g - s h e e t s f o r d a t a p r o c e s s i n g ( G r a n d p e r r i n and Brouard, 1983).

Beyond 100 m , s i x t y d i f f e r e n t s p e c i e s a r e caugh t , a lmost a l l of which a r e s o l d wi thou t any r i s k of c a u s i n g f i sh -po i son ing . Three genera make up a b o u t 80% of t h e c a t c h by we igh t . I n 1982 and u n t i l t h e beg inn ing of 1983, E t e l i s spp. (deep-water r e d s n a p p e r s ) r e p r e s e n t e d 52.4%, P r i s t i p o m o i d e s spp. ( j o b f i s h ) 5.1% and Epinephelus spp. ( g r o u p e r s ) 23.1%. T h i s p a r t i c u l a r d i s t r i b u t i o n i s a r e s u l t of t h e d e p t h s a t which f i s h i n g was commonly c a r r i e d on d u r i n g t h i s p e r i o d (more than 250m). I n March 1983 f i s h i n g began i n s h a l l o w e r w a t e r s , and i t i s a l r e a d y c l e a r t h a t t h e 1983 f i g u r e will show an i n c r e a s e i n t h e r e l a t i v e abundance of P r i s t ipomoides .

Around E f a t e , d u r i n g t h e y e a r 1982 and t h e f i r s t months of 1983, s i x tonnes of deep bottom f i s h were caught u s i n g t h e wooden hand- ree l s common throughout t h e P a c i f i c . The f i s h i n g e f f o r t was 1 ,600 r e e l hours . The a v e r a g e ca tch p e r u n i t of e f f o r t over a p e r i o d of 16 months was 3.49 k g l r e e l hour . The f i s h i n g e f f o r t having been i r r e g u l a r , i t i s no t p o s s i b l e w i t h t h e d a t a

a) Pristipomoides multidens - 0.00096t

1 Lt = 60.18 - 70.16e

Number of lings

b) Pristipomoides flavipinnis -0.0013t

1 Lt =41.8 - 40.7e

Figure 1 : Relationship between number of daily growth rings and caudal fork length.

b) Pristimopoides ftavipinnis n = 199

Fork length (cm)

c) Etelis mrbunculus a = 662

d ) Etelis corusmns

Figure 2: Length - frequency distributions.

currently available to pinpoint any seasonal variations that there might be in abundance or in catchability of fish.

Growth and size frequency of Etelidae

The technique of reading daily growth rings of otoliths that was proposed by Pannella (1974) and later used by several authors for tropi:al fish (Ralston, 1976; Uchida et al., 1982, Uchiyama, T.H., personal communication), was used in Vanuatu to assess the age and growth of coruscans, Pristipomoides flavipinnis and P. multidens (Brouard u., 1983). Figure 1 shows the growth curves that h a v e p l o t t e d ; size frequency distributions are given in figure 2. The von Bertalanffy parameters that have been obtained have made it possible to assess natural mortality using Pauly's formula (1980) (Table 1).

Table 1. Parameters of growth and natural mortality of four Etelidae

E. carbunculus E. coruscans P. multidens P. flavipinnis

L (cm) 82 75 60.2 41.8

1 (1) according to Pauly's formula (1980):

log(^) = -0.0066 - 0.279 log L + 0.654 log K + 0.463 log T

0 (where T = average temperature of the water expressed in C).

Estimating the potential yield of deep bottom fish in Vanuatu waters

There are not yet of course enough catch and effort data from Vanuatu to be able to make any kind of model at this stage. However, it is possible, as has already been suggested (Welcomme and Gulland, 1980; FAO, 19801, to determine orders of magnitude of potential yields in comparison with other regions with similar ecology in respect of which yields are already well defined. Hawaii, which, like Vanuatu, is situated in the tropical zone, has been used as a reference (Ralston and Polovina, 1982).

Both archipelagoes have the same structure in that there is no lagoon and the outer reef slope is very steep. The physico-chemical features and primary organisms are similar (Brouard and Grandperrin, 1983) and the fish species found very similar also. In the Hawaii islands, the main species caught at depths between 80 and 240 m are: Pristipomoides filamentosus, Epinephelus quernus, Seriola dumerili, Pristipomoides zonatus. Between 200 and 350 m the most common species are Aphareus rutilans, Pontinus macrocephalus, Etelis coruscans, E. carbunculus, Pristipomoides sieboldi. With %the exception of Pontinus macrocephalus (Scorpaenidae) these species (or closely related ones) are found in Vanuatu. - P. filamentosus, which makes up the greater part of catches in Hawaii would be rather less abundant in our area where P. multidens and P. flavi innis predominate. According to our data and those of Uchida et al. ~ 1 9 h c a t c h e s per unit of effort are of the same order of magnitude in the two areas. There does not therefore appear to be any great difference in abundance.

If one applies the figures obtained in Hawaii to the whole of Vanuatu the estimated maximum sustainable yield (MSY) is between 147.0 and 380.8 tonneslyear. Around Eface, the MSY would be between 13.7 and 35.4 tonneslyear. As the Hawaiian catches are underestimated for certain islands because recreational fishing is not taken into account, it seems permissible to increase figures slightly. For the whole of Vanuatu, the MSY would be about 300 tonneslyear, i.e. 0.4 kg/ha/year. For Efate it would be 30 tonneslyear.

With a view to correcting our data, we examined the results obtained by Munro (1973) in the Caribbean zone. The author demonstrates that the abundance of fish on the outer reef slope (deeper than 100 m) is ten times smaller there than it is on the "continental shelf" (less than 100 m). He estimates the yield for the "continental shelf" to be between 11.3 and 15.1 kg/ha/year, which gives an estimated MSY of lkglhalyear for the outer reef slope in the Caribbean tropical zone. Marten and Polovina (19821, making a general analysis of yields of the different tropical ecosystems, in which they include consideration of primary productivity and depth, find similar orders of magnitude. Assuming that our MSY of 0.4 kglhalyear could be multiplied by 2 or 3, it is still probable that it would hardly exceed 1 kglhalyear. This being s o the number of vessels (of the catamaran type) that would lead to maximum sustainable exploitation would be between 50 and 100 for the whole of Vanuatu (MSY: 300 to 600 tonneslyear) and between 5 and 10 in the waters around Efate (MSY: 30 to 60 tonneslyear). These figures should help development planners in selecting their objectives. The bottom fish resources of the outer reef slope appear fairly limited and this means that very great vigilance must be exercised in fishing these waters.

Acknowledgement

The authors wish to thank the Fisheries Department, and in particular its Director, Mr Crossland, for their continuous close co-operation.

References

BROUARD, F. et R. GRANDPERRLN - 1983 - La peche aux poissons demersaux profonds a Vanuatu : etude preliminaire. Mission ORSTOM de Port-Vila, Motes et documents d'oceanographie no. 7, 22 p.

BROUARD, F., R. GRANDPERRIN, M. KULBICKI et J. RIVATON - 1983 - Note sur la lecture des stries journalieres observees sur les otolithes des poissons demersaux profonds a Vanuatu. Mission ORSTOM de Port-Vila, Notes et documents d'oceanographie no. 8, 9p. (Editors note - English translation available from Southwest Fisheries Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, Honolulu,, Hawaii 96812).

FAO - 1980 - Quelques problemes scientifiques sur les pecheries multispeci- fiques. Rapport de la Conference d'experts sur l'amenagement des pecheries multispecifiques , Rome, Italie, 20-23 septembre 1977. FAO Dec. Tech. Peches, 181, 46 p.

GRANDPERRIN, R. et F. BROUARD - 1983 - Etat d'avancement des recherches con- duites par 1'ORSTOM en matiere de peche a Vanuatu, Mission ORSTOM de Port-Vila, Notes et documents d'oceanographie no. 6, 19 p.

MARTEN, G.G. et J.J. POLOVINA - 1982 - A comparative study of fish yields from various tropical ecosystems, p. 255-289. In Pauly, D. and G.I. Murphy (eds). Theory and management of tropical Esheries. ICLARM Conference proceedings 9, 360 p.

MUNRO, J.L. - 1973 - The biology, ecology, exploitation and management of Caribbean reef fishes. Part I. Coral reef fish and fisheries of the Caribbean Sea. Research Reports from the Zoology Department, University of the West Indies no. 3, 43 p.

MUNRO, J.L. - 1974 - The biology, ecology, exploitation and management of Caribbean reef fishes. Part 111. The composition and magnitude of line catches in Jamaican waters. Research Reports from the Zoology Department, University of the West Indies no. 3, 27 p.

PANNELLA, G. - 1974 - Otolith growth patterns: an aid in age determination in temperate and tropical fishes. Proc. Int. Symp. on the ageing of fish (T.B. BENGAL ~ditor) - Unwin Brothers, Surrey, England : 28-39.

PAULY, D. - 1980 - On the interrelationships between natural mortality, growth parameters, and mean environmental temperature in 175 fish stock. - J. Cons. int. Explor. Mer, 39 (2): 175-192.

RALSTON, S. - 1976 - Age determination of a tropical reef butterflyfish utilis- ing daily growth rings of otoliths. Fish. Bull., E, 74: 990-994,

RALSTON, S. et J.J. POLOVINA - 1982 - A multispecies analysis of the commercial deep-sea handline fishery in Hawaii. Fish. Bull., 80 (80): 435-448.

UCHIDA, R.N., B.M. IT0 et J.H. UCHIYAMA - 1979 - Surveys of bottom fish re- source in the north western Hawaiian islands. SPC, 11th Regional Technical Meeting on Fisheries, Working Paper 4, 17 p.

UCHIDA, R.N., D.T. TAGAMI et J.H. UCHIYAMA - 1982 - Results of bottom fish re- search in the north western Hawaiian islands. SPC, 14th Regional Technical Meeting on Fisheries, Background Paper no. 2 , 14 p.

WELCOMME, R.L. et J.A. GULLAND - 1980 - Methods for assessing the resources available to small-scale fisheries. FAO, IPFC/80/SYMP/Sp/7, January 1980, 10 p.

SPC Fisheries Newsletter No. 28 January - March 1984

A MARINE RESOURCES INFORMATION SYSTEM FOR THE PACIFIC?

Bess Flores South Pacific Commission Noumea, New Caledonia

This paper uses a proposal for the establishment of a marine resources information system as a background for examination of the appropriateness and viability in the South Pacific Commission area of single - disciplinary information systems.

Those proposing such a system argue that - (l) marine resource specialists, planners, educators, businesses and the public

at large need access to marine resource information produced inside and outside the SPC area;

(2) no existing institution or system successfully fulfils this need;

(3) the need could be fulfilled by the development of a network of marine science specialists, institutions, governments, and libraries reporting to a central marine sciences body whose responsibility it would be to collect, organise and disseminate the information.

Such arguments are explicit in the following statements extracted from the 1982 "information" issue of the ICLARM Newsletter(1):

"The major information-handling institutions in the area, i.e. the university of the South Pacific, the Forum Fisheries Agency and the South Pacific Commission, have few serious problems in identifying or obtaining relevant marine resource publications produced or held outside the SPC area. The real problem lies in the identification, collection, organisation and dissemination of relevant publications produced in or about the SPC area.

"There is no Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Information Service (ASFIS) input centre in Australia, Hawaii or New Zealand, nor in any country of the SPC area, and this world-wide source of fisheries information receives only incidental input from the South Pacific. It is not that this information does not exist, but that, with too few notable exceptions, library, publishing and distribution facilities are poorly funded, staffed and organised.

"It is often difficult for a Government officer to find within his department a complete range of his own department1$ publications, let alone relevant publications from other departments and countries, and this is repeated on a national scale. The South Pacific Commission, for example, produces useful fisheries documents, every one of which is sent to fisheries and other offices in each country throughout the region. These documents may not reach the offices to whom they would be most useful, and may not be

retained for future reference. Documents can be lost, destroyed, abapdoned or taken into protective custody by itinerant experts.

"Expatriate workers and extra-regLona1 organisations consistently have larger, better-organised and hence better-used collections of publications relating to South Pacific fisheries than exist in the countries themselves. South Pacific countries not only do not control their own fisheries information resources, but also are largely dependent on extra-regional countries to provide and disseminate the information which they need", and which they themselves originally produced.

The desirability of an information system is clear. It is also clear that direct contact between specialists is, at least in the short term, the most efficient means of information transfer. However the type of 'information network' usually proposed at specialist group meetings usually fails because of insufficient attention to the information infrastructures on which the projected network must depend. The success of networking depends on a careful choice of collaborators, careful timing and setting-up plus continuing supervision and upkeep. These in turn depend on good organisation, good communication and adequate financial support.

Since 1982 there have been several developments in the establishment and upgrading of information systems and infrastructures:-

(l) The Pacific Information Centre (PIC), formerly the Regional Bibliographic Service, received IDRC funding to establish a multi-disciplinary bibli- ographic information and document delivery service, and published the South Pacific Bibliography, 1981'. (2)

( 2 ) The qouth Pacific Regional ~nvironment Programme (SPREP) established focal points and published, through PIC and with SPC Library assistance, a bibli- ography of environmental issues related to natural resources(3), a direc- tory 05 research workera in national resources, and is preparing a direc- tory of marine research institutions.

(3) The Commonwealth Regional Renewable Energy Resources Informqtion System, working through SPEC, established focal point for the collection and dis- semination of energy information.

(4) FAO provided a consultant to discuss with governments and regional bodies their possible input into the International Information System for the Agricultural Sciences and Technology.

(5) A number of other networks have been proposed, usually without reference to existing systems.

These developments were discussed at the meeting of the PIC Advisory Committee where several recommendations of interest to marine resources information systems were mde.(4) One recommendation was that funding be sought from ESCAP, and other potentially interested agencies, to hold in the SPC area in l984 a meeting to discuss existing and proposed national and regional information systems, and to identify the needs of governments,and organisations wishing to develop or participate in informqtion systems.

Later in the year the UNESCO Conference on school library development (Suva, November 7-11, 1983) brought together participants, observers and consultants from Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, the British Council, CIDA, SPC, SPEC, University of Hawaii, University of the South Pacific, UNESCO and FAO. It offered opportunities to discuss the educational and information policies of

gove~rnments, and to 'reacti$ate the Standing Conference 'of Pacific Libraries (SCOPAL) . As a result, the. meeting ~a&:sbz: expressed , its support for ~ an information policy meeting, and directed SCOPAL to liaise with UNESCO and other agencies in this 'rega.rd. .

~ , , , .

Interest in marine .resource ,information was shown at th'e Twenty-third ,Sou,th Pacific Conference in .Saipan,: ,Octci~er 1983, : which directed the Secreta~ry-General to identify available reports relating' to the development management and control of maritime, 'natura.&..' resour'cea in the , SPC area. ~dentification will be facilitated by the PXC/SPRJ3P ,:bibliography on environmental issues(3), in which approximately 25% of the references relate to marine resources. When, however, marine resource info&a't,ion is seen as part of ,the total informat ion ,relating to the PacifZc, tWe proporti?on:, drops sharply. Anal~ysis' OF SPC libracy hold.ings and informa'bion activities shows, 'that marsne .resources account for 10% of the total hol.dings, 10% of the current intake and 17% of, the information requests, against,' in agriculture, 17% of the total hold.ings, 10% of the current intake and 33% 06,the information requests. On the other hand, marine reso,urces staff account for ~ more than 12% of SPC .headquarter1s total ,staff, and if, their personal information collections and activities were taken into account, both holdings, and defiand would obviously be higher. However, the same trend is seen in catalogues of other collections. In che 1981 South Pacific. Bibliography (2) marine resource 'information acpynts for 7% of the total. In the-l981 Papua New.Guinea National Bibliography it is 6%, while in the total holdings of the Kiribati National Collection (1981)(6,) it is slightly more ,than 10%.

Unless systematic attempts are made to identify, seek, record and conserve government documents and consultant reports, marine resources information - like development information in other fields - will remain under-collected, under-recorded and often unknown, filed and forgotten in the office of origin. If it were not £o the annual SPC fisheries technical meetings and tuna, billfish and deep sea fisheries programmes, and the programmes of the FFA and of the Universities, the known Pacific marine resources literature would be meagre indeed.

In marine resources and in the inclusive fields of natural resources and environment (which account for between one third and one half of the SPC library's holdings and intake and more than one half of the library's incoming information requests) it is necessary to take into account the interaction between people and resources, and to widen the fields of interest into economics, anthropology, nutrition, demography, history, politics, etc. The means by which information is or should be transmitted and collected include therefore oral and audio-visual means (audio cassettes, videos, film and radio).(7) Most agencies, however, support specific programmes and projects rather than attempt to meet the needs of a multi-disciplinary system, and few, if any, governments in the SPC area have any coherent policy on information resource management. These two factors result in a proliferation of single-disciplinary information system projects and proposals which do not necessarily, or even usually, include support to the (usually weak) information infrastructures of governments or regional bodies.

Yet the equipment and technical processes ass~ciated with the collection, organisation and dissemination of information are similar regardless of the subject fields in which the information is collected, and to some extent regardless of the size or form of the collection. A microfilm camera, for example, costs as much whether it is bought to record 1.000 marine resource reports or 5,000 natural resource reports, and so does a typewriter or micro-computer. On the other hand, taking the microfilm example further, one organisation may decide to record on 16 mm film and another on 35 mm. If their reading or reproducing equipment is not compatible, they will not be able to

exchange the documents they film. The same is true of micro and mini-computers which are increasingly used in the SPC area and for which no standard bibliograpl~ic software exists.

The lack of standardisation, inherent in a proliferation of separate, sometimes competing systems adds to costs and limits information exchange. To avoid this, co-operating bodies should formulate joint policies regarding areas of specialisation (subject fields, form of material, scope of operations) and compatibility of equipment and processes of information transfer. While acknowledging the importance of marine resource activities in the SPC area and the necessity to record and make available for general use relevant library, government office and personal collections, I therefore question the cost-effectiveness of establishing a purely marine resource-oriented information system which could divert funds and time from other equally important fields.

The ideal would be for agencies interested in Pacific development information to provide need-related support to an integrated multi-disciplinary and multi-media Pacific bibliographic data base and document delivery service, such as is now beginning operation at PIC with the co-operation of SPC, SPEC, national libraries and other national and international bodies (UPNG; NLA; FAO; ESCAP; IDRC, etc.). This does not imply that the collection and dissemination of information is or should be the exclusive preserve of a library system. It is the business of a library-based information system to identify, collect, organise, describe, evaluate and make available relevant and reliable information, in all its recorded forms, to specialists, planners, educators, the mass media, the business community and the general public. It is the business of those people and organisations to evaluate the information for their own individual purposes, to reject or to apply it and to generate new information which eventually goes back into the cycle. As, in a tree, the quality and quantity of its fruits depend largely on the quality and quantity of nourishment received by its roots, so, too, a multi-disciplinary system would strengthen the collection, organisation and dissemination of information, both in the donor's special field and in related fields, to government planners, scientific and technical workers, educators and the population at large.

Practical actions by governments, institutions and aid agencies could include: - (l) support for the concept of an integrated multi-disciplinary multi-media

information system based on the Pacific Information Centre, with input from SPC, SPEC and Pacific governments and output back to governments, regional bodies and to systems established elsewhere in the Commonwealth;

( 2 ) direct assistance to countries and organisations who are already co-oper- ating in the system and who could present a coherent joint programme and castings;

( 3 ) support for holding in the SPC area, a meeting of government planners, scientific workers, librarians and international bodies, to identify the needs of governments and organisations wishing to participate in the dev- elopment of integrated national and regional information systems and services;

( 4 ) encouragement of research and co-operative efforts in ensuring compatibil- ity of information processing and recording equipment and programmes;

( 5 ) assistance in identifying and approaching potential donors and co- operators.

There is therefore wide scppe for co-operative action.

References

(l) Flores, Bess. "Fisheries information in the South Pacifict1. ICLARM News- letter, 5 (2) 1982: 20.

(2 ) South Pacific bibliography 1981. Suva: Pacific Information Centre, 1982 - (Input From libraries in Cook Islands, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Western Samoa, SPC, USP).

( 3 ) Environmental issues in the South Pacific: a preliminary bibliography. Suva: Pacific Information Centre/Noumea; SPREP, 1983 - (Input from SPC Library, USP Library; Fiji College of Ag. Library; Fiji Min. Ag. Fish Library; USP Library; USP institute staff).

(4) "PIC advisory committee meeting". University of the South Pacific Bull- etin 16 (29) July 1983: 6. - 1

(5) Papua New Guinea national bibliography 1981. Waigani: National Library Service of Papua New Guinea, 1981.

( 6 ) ~iribati national collection 1981, compiled by Richard Overy. Tarawa: National Library and Archives, 1982.

( 7 ) See for example: Rahnema, M. The sound library: a simple but revolutionary tool for development. UNESCO journal of information science, librarianship and archives, 4 ( 3 ) 1982: 1511-58.