About the beche-de-mer special interest group

This bulletin is the first to be produced by the SPC Fisheries Information Project. It is intended for circulation to registered members of the SPC Special Interest Group (SIG) on beche-de-mer.

The concept behind SIGs is to establish networks of individuals working in similar subject areas, so as to encourage the sharing of information and ideas in the region. There are currently two SIGs in operation, on beche-de-mer and on pearl oysters. We anticipate that the number will rise to about 12 by the end of 1990.

The SIGs are being established in response to the needs of Pacific Island fishery scientists and development workers, as expressed at the SPC Workshop on Pacific Inshore Fishery Resources in March 1988, and at the 21^st SPC Regional Technical Meeting on Fisheries in August 1989. In both cases, representatives of the Commissions 22 Pacific Island member countries and territories urged the SPC to become more active in the collection, repackaging and dissemination of information on the key fishery resources of the region, as a step towards reducing the problems faced by fisheries workers because of isolation from other workers and poor communications in the islands.

As a first step, the Commission circulated questionnaires on the establishment of SIGs to the Fisheries establishments of the region and beyond. The questionnaire responses were used to gauge the relative interest of different subject areas to Pacific Island fishery workers, and to identify individuals who might provide technical information. As a result, several SIG subject areas have now been identified. In the case of bêche-de-mer, we have received about 60 questionnaire responses, and this is the first SIG to become active.

As part of the support offered to each SIG, the South Pacific Commission will undertake to circulate literature, technical materials, and correspondence relevant to the interests of group members on an occasional basis, mainly in the form of this type of bulletin. In return, we would ask group members to keep us informed of their own work activities in the subject field, and to send us single copies of any material or information that may be relevant to the interests of other members of the group.

The goal of this first beche-de-mer information bulletin is to give group members an idea of the type of information we hope to include, as well as to provide a stock-take of currently available bibliographic information relevant to the interests of the group. A list of SIG members is also given to facilitate preliminary contacts between members.

To make the bulletin worthwhile, we would stress that it is extremely important for members to keep us informed of their activities with the aim to supply items such as:

* research activities in biology and ecology;

* fishing and marketing activities;

* information on books, conferences and various publications;

* questions by members or information requests.

Jean-Paul Gaudechoux

Contents

Download the complete publication:

Beche de Mer #1 (pdf: )