Coastal Fisheries Programme
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Number 156 (May–August 2018)

Produced by the Pacific Community, Division of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine Ecosystems, Information Section, BP D5, 98848 Noumea Cedex, New Caledonia

Produced with financial assistance from the Australian Government, the European Union, France and the New Zealand Aid Programme

Editorial

Climate change is usually associated with increasing temperatures and rising sea level. But these are only two of its many consequences, even if they are perhaps the most dramatic. Johann Bell and Tarûb Bahri, in their article on page 43, discuss the likely consequences of climate change for industrial and coastal fisheries of the Pacific Islands region, as well as for aquaculture. For industrial fisheries, it is predicted that the four main tuna stocks – albacore, bigeye, skipjack and yellowfin – will be ‘relatively’ unharmed by climate change because of their ability to move to favourable areas. But, this shift will particularly affect those small island States that are highly dependent on licence fees from industrial fleets, and in which the local population depends heavily on coastal marine resources for food security.

The consequences of climate change on small-scale fisheries are mostly linked to the increase in sea surface temperatures, which will drive many target species to higher latitudes, and will damage or destroy vast areas of reefs, thereby considerably reducing their productivity. In the Pacific islands, most small-scale catches come from coral reefs, and many communities have few sources of animal protein other than those derived from the sea, thus making coastal populations particularly vulnerable to climate change.

In reading the various articles in this issue, I couldn’t help but notice that almost all of the topics covered – tuna fisheries science and management, shark survival, identification of alternative marine resources, recruitment of juvenile eels, rock oyster aquaculture – cannot be addressed without taking into account the impact of climate change. A challenge that requires an urgent and effective response.

Aymeric Desurmont
Fisheries Information Specialist

 

 

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Unloading bycatch from a tuna longliner, Noro, Solomon Islands.
Image: Francisco Blaha

In this issue

SPC ACTIVITIES

  • Cutting edge science at the 14th meeting of the WCPFC Scientific Committee  (pdf: )

  • Managing the world’s largest tuna fishery   (pdf: )

  • First workshop on harvest strategies for improved fisheries management (pdf: )

  • Wallalis wobbling in whirly weather! A scientific mission thrown off course by heavy seas  (pdf: )

  • Tagging sharks to determine post-release mortality – the Pacific Shark Tagging Project   (pdf: )

  • Training in how to net the naughty people involved in coastal fisheries (pdf: )

  • Institutional collaboration is key to regulating coastal fisheries in Kiribati (pdf: )

  • Rock oyster Australian tour  (pdf: )

  • Increasing capacity of government and private sector shrimp hatchery technicians in Fiji  (pdf: )

  • Building the business skills of a tilapia farm operation in Papua New Guinea  (pdf: )

  • Alternative resources to supplement the Tongan deepwater snapper fishery  (pdf: )

  • Evaluation of the Pacific Islander Junior Professionals Programme (2013–2018)  (pdf: )

  • Customised leadership and management training for Pacific fisheries  (pdf: )

NEWS FROM IN AND AROUND THE REGION

  • Recruitment of freshwater eels as ‘glass eels’ in Fiji Islands – New research results about species composition and seasonality  (pdf: )

  • The Pacific Fisheries Officer Training Course – Where to from here?  (pdf: )

  • Revitalising the fish warden system in Fiji: Outcomes of the Second Northern Division Fish Warden Forum (pdf: )

  • Small-scale tuna fishing at Kadavu Island, Fiji (pdf: )

FEATURE ARTICLES

  • A new climate change vulnerability assessment for fisheries and aquaculture  (pdf: )



pdfDownload the complete publication:

Fisheries Newsletter #156 (pdf: )

 


 

 
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