Fisheries Newsletter No 151 (September–December 2016)

Editorial

The beaming smile of Jacob Sam Hioau, from Solomon Islands, preparing a grouper for lunch speaks volumes; having such a nice-sized reef fish to share is a rare privilege.

In the highlands of Monsavu, in the centre of Viti Levu, Fiji, the people of Rewasau have almost no access to reef fish because of the remoteness and inaccessibility of their village. However, an industrious group of women have set up small tilapia farms, and they use the fish not only to put food on village tables, but also to pay for services, because, as Tim Pickering explains, ‘… fish is a much sought-after source of protein for people in the highlands’ (see article).

The declining reef resources in the Pacific Island region are under threat from a number of sources, including from illegal fishers travelling all the way from Southeast Asia on so-called ‘blue boats’, which have been found operating in domestic waters of Palau, Federated States of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea and, recently, as far south as Australia and New Caledonia. Francisco Blaha describes the conundrum for countries in the region: ‘For countries where the poaching takes place, there is a huge drain on local finances when these boats are caught, and a huge drain on the locals’ livelihoods when they are not.’ (see article)

This issue describes a number of efforts across the Pacific Islands region to ensure that Pacific people maintain their access to healthy and plentiful marine resources, and to continue to bring smiles – like Jacob’s – to the faces of many more Pacific people.

Aymeric Desurmont
Fisheries Information Specialist