Current status of aquaculture in the Pacific Islands

Abstract

Compared with fishing, aquaculture is currently of little commercial significance to the Pacific Islands, with one important exception, black pearl farming, which is virtually confined to eastern Polynesia. Elsewhere in the Pacific, considerable development is needed before aquaculture can be considered economically sustainable. Shrimp (Penaeus spp.) farming has been a focus of commercial development in several islands with varying degrees of success; tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) aquaculture has entered the subsistence economy in some areas, and seaweed (Kappaphycus spp.) is a future commercial export prospect. The culture of other marine and freshwater species is, however, generally still at the experimental or "backyard" stage. The expansion of aquaculture in the Pacific will depend on providing better production methods for species currently being farmed, and techniques for propagating and growing the "new" species described above. These methods and techniques should be simple and flexible so that they can be adapted to the context of the Pacific Islands environment and to the market constraints (local and export markets). This approach should favour systems integrating fisheries and mariculture with low investment and operating costs and simple technical production processes. This should be done in association with pilot commercial-scale operations to test and demonstrate the economic viability of the methods proposed. This will require research combined with assistance, training and education programmes.