FAO/FishCode Review No. 19 Spearfishing in the Pacific Islands |
FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS Rome, 2006
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ISSN 1728-4392
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© FAO 2004
This report was prepared by Robert Gillett and Wayne Moy, on the initiative of the Secretariat of the Pacific Commission (SPC) and with the support of the FAO FishCode Programme, under Project GCP/INT/823/JPN, “Responsible Fisheries for Small Island Developing States”. The document presents the findings of the SPC/FAO-FishCode Pacific Islands Spearfishing Study, including a review of spearfishing in selected countries, the major problems related to spearfishing and possible interventions to mitigate such problems in the Pacific Islands countries. The FishCode Review series publishes results of studies, missions, consultations, workshops, meetings and other project activities undertaken through the Programme, in furtherance of the objective of facilitating implementation of the 1995 FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and related international fisheries instruments and plans of action. Individual issues in the series are distributed to appropriate governments, regional bodies, meeting participants and Programme partners. For further information on Programme background, publications and activities, please consult the Web site at http://www.fao.org/fi/fishcode.htm |
Gillett, R.; Moy, W. Spearfishing in the Pacific Islands. Current status and management issues. FAO/FishCode Review. No. 19. Rome, FAO. 2006.72p. Spearfishing is growing in importance in the Pacific Islands. While its management has featured as a topic in some regional-level meetings, detailed information on spearfishing is surprisingly scarce. In early 1994, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) proposed to consolidate information on
spearfishing in the Pacific Islands. The original intent was to undertake a review of the available
literature through a desk study. With the realization that many issues related to spearfishing are
undocumented, the strategy was changed to include some field work. These activities were supported
by the FAO FishCode Programme. |
Abbreviations and acronyms
Executive Summary
1. Introduction
1.1 Background2. Information on spearfishing from country visits
1 1.2 The spearfishing study
1.3 Some methodology considerations
2.1 Information on spearfishing in Fiji3. Information from other Pacific Island countries
2.2 Information on spearfishing in Tonga
2.3 Information on spearfishing in Samoa
2.4 Information on spearfishing in Tuvalu
2.5 Information on spearfishing in the Solomon Islands
2.6 Summary of observations in Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Tuvalu and the Solomon Islands
3.1 Aspects of management of spearfishing in American Samoa4. PROCFish-C results
3.2 Aspects of management of spearfishing on Satawal Island, FSM
7.1 Important species8. Management of spearfishing
7.2 Thoughts on spearfishing selectivity
7.3 The Selectivity of spearfishing as compared to gillnetting
7.4 Sources of fishing mortality for the main species
7.5 The catch of low trophic level herbivorous fishes by spearfishing
8.1 Major difficulties and issues in spearfishing9. FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries issues relevant to spearfishing
8.2 Spearfishing contributing to inshore overfishing
8.3 Scuba spearfishing
8.4 What works?
8.5 Additional comments on spearfishing management