3.1 Extension services in the region
3.2 Training of extension agents
3.3 Seed production facilities in the region
3.4 Manufacture of feed and fertilizers in the region
3.5 Manufacturers of equipment for the industry
3.6 Other services for the industry
3.7 Local credit programmes
3.8 Trade publications for producers
3.9 Technical assistance projects in the sub-sector
In Australia a number of aquaculture extension services are operated by a number of the State Governments (for example, Queensland and Tasmania) and by leading technical institutes. In New Zealand they are operated by agencies of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.
In the smaller island nations of Oceania there are few if any available extension Services. Often the function of extension is carried out by the fisheries officers as part of their many responsibilities.
Programmes specifically addressing aquaculture and marine extension are few. The University of Guam has established Marine Advisory and Aquaculture Extension Services partially funded by the US National Sea Grant Program through the University of Hawaii and the Cooperative Extension Service of the US Department of Agriculture, respectively.
The College of Micronesia in Pohnpei has recently appointed a Marine Advisory Agent funded by the US National Sea Grant Program (University of Hawaii) and the College of Tropical Agriculture. The recently established Center for Tropical and Subtropical Aquaculture, serving Hawaii, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and American Samoa, is in the process of developing extension programmes in aquaculture within the region.
At the present time, most of the few aquaculture extension agents employed in the region are trained in biology, marine science, and possibly fisheries, at a graduate level. Most are graduates from the numerous universities in Australia and New Zealand which provide educational opportunities in these fields (see 4.1) with programmes open to Pacific islanders. Graduate education in biology and fisheries is also available at the University of Papua New Guinea, and the University of Technology in Papua New Guinea. The University of the South Pacific in Fiji and the University of Guam both serve students in the region and particularly those from the south Pacific (USP) and from the geographic area of Micronesia (UOG). Baccalaureate and graduate University programs are also available to regional students at the University of Hawaii. There is a two-year programme in biology at the Community College of Micronesia in Palau.
There are as yet no vocational colleges in the region training extension agents in aquaculture, although in Fiji there are vocational programmes operated by the Ministry of Primary Industries for both fisheries and aquaculture personnel. The other islands, notably Kiribati, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Western Samoa, and Vanuatu, all operate extension vocational courses in fisheries but not aquaculture.
Specialized training in aquaculture sub-disciplines is predominantly obtained from a number of training opportunities available throughout the region, but on an irregular basis.
In Australia short courses in aquaculture training are available at the Queensland Institute of Technology and the Tasmanian State Institute of Technology. The Ministry of Primary Industries (Fisheries Division), Fiji, and the University of Papua New Guinea have hosted individual short courses. Several training courses and workshops have been organized in Hawaii at the private Oceanic Institute and several departments of the University of Hawaii (the Mariculture Research and Training Centre of the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, the Department of Agricultural Engineering, etc.). Similarly the University of Guam and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences are organizing a series of aquaculture workshops in support of the Cooperative Extension Service.
A number of organizations in the nearby Asia region provide opportunities in specialized aquaculture practices in which Pacific islanders can participate. The SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC-AQD) at Tigbauan in the Philippines trains national and international extension agents in various production methods and techniques, such as shrimp hatchery and culture operations, and freshwater fish farming, among others. SEAFDEC-AQD also offers trainers' training courses for extension workers. Since 1974 SEAFDEC-AQD has trained some 6 776 participants, of which over 1 000 have been international trainees, many from countries of the Pacific.
The Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia (NACA) provides short-term international training for aquaculture extension workers. On return to their respective countries these trainees are expected to transfer the technologies through in-country programmes to other extension workers who, in turn, conduct on-site sessions for fish farmers.
Transfer of aquaculture technology and training of field workers in their own countries is also effected under the NACA programme of inter-country exchange of expertise. National experts assist other lead centres as well as other countries by visiting and training technicians and field workers on site. Since 1981 NACA has organized some 15 international training courses for specialized aquaculture practices with over 350 participants, of whom only 7 have been from Pacific countries.
A database for fisheries and aquaculture training opportunities has been established by the International Centre for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM) and FAO at the ICLARM offices in the Philippines. Currently the database lists 316 long- and short-term courses in fisheries and aquaculture worldwide. More than half of the 110 institutions are in Asia. Short courses are offered by 8 centres in the South Pacific, but all for fisheries with one exception (Fiji). The rest are Kiribati (1), New Caledonia (2 - including the South Pacific Commission), Solomon Islands (2 - including the South Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency), Western Samoa, and Vanuatu.
The availability of seed for stocking aquaculture grow-out systems is a key element in any plan for the development of aquaculture. Within the region, a number of facilities have been established for the production of juvenile fish and invertebrates for stocking and reseeding.
There are several commercial and government-operated fish hatcheries operational in Australia (Tasmania) and New Zealand. These are primarily for the production of salmonids (brown and rainbow trout, and Pacific and Atlantic salmon) for restocking rivers for sports fishing, as well as for enhancement and grow-out on farms. A number of hatcheries in Australia are now producing Murray cod and golden perch.
In the islands a number of aquaculture research centres also produce stocks in hatcheries. In French Polynesia (Tahiti), for example, IFREMER produces a number of marine species such as groupers and shrimp, and the Guam Aquaculture Development and Training Center is producing rabbitfish.
Hatcheries for the production of post-larval and juvenile crustaceans, including marron and yabbies (Australia) freshwater prawns (Australia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam), and marine shrimp (Australia, Guam, New Caledonia) can be found within the region.
There is considerable interest in the region in the development of commercial production of giant tridachnid clams. A hatchery has been in operation for several years at the MMDC at Palau. Research on hatchery production of giant clams is on-going at the Orpheus Island research station of James Cook University in Australia, and a research facility and hatchery has been established at Honiara in the Solomon Islands.
Commercial and semi-commercial hatcheries in the region are the Aiyura Highlands Aquaculture Development Center in Papua New Guinea (for carp and tilapia); the Eastern Freshwater Fish Hatchery, New South Wales, Australia, and the New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries field hatchery at Pukapuka, New Zealand (for oysters); the Mahanga Bay Shellfish Hatchery, New Zealand (for abalone); the Murray Cod Hatcheries and Fauna Park in Australia (for Murray cod); the New Zealand Salmon Co. (for Atlantic salmon); the France Aquaculture Hatchery in New Caledonia (for marine shrimp); the SodaCal Hatchery in New Caledonia (for marine shrimp); the Salmon Enterprises Pty. Ltd. hatchery in Tasmania (for Atlantic salmon); and the Sea Hatcheries, Ltd. hatchery in North Queensland, Australia (for barramundi).
Few companies in the region produce specialized fish feeds and fertilizers for the aquaculture industry. Both the New Zealand Salmon Company of Dunedin, and Janos Nutrition, of New South Wales, Australia, advertise in trade publications as feed producers. However, many other animal feed producers in the region have experimented with fish feeds or will produce formulated lots on order.
At the present time manufacturers of specialized equipment for the aquaculture industry are few. Many manufacturers will fabricate equipment to order. A number of manufacturers advertise in the trade magazines and aquaculture publications, among which are Batescrew Sales of New South Wales, Australia (for pumps), and Dynex Extrusions of Auckland, New Zealand (for PVC tubes for oyster culture).
The First Tasmanian Aquaculture Conference (1987) had a number of exhibitors of equipment for the industry.
The majority of services available to the sector in the region (pre-investment advice, feasibility studies, engineering services, technical advice, water quality analysis, soil analysis, etc.) are mostly still provided through government departments.
In Australia the State fisheries agencies provide assistance services in a number of ways to aquaculture investors; in New Zealand it is the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, which has departmental offices located throughout the country ready to provide help.
Within the Pacific islands miscellaneous services are sporadic and are often only available through individuals in various local government agencies and at local universities. For example, the Agriculture Experiment Station at the University of Guam provides soil analyses for pond construction, and the Water and Energy Research Institute provides water analyses for local producers. Similar services are available from appropriate university departments.
Some guidance is available from the Institutes of Natural Resources and Marine Resources of the University of the South Pacific, Fiji, from staff involved in the development and conservation of marine resources in the region. In French Polynesia and New Caledonia, l'Establissement de Valorisation des Activités Aquacoles et Maritimes (EVAAM) provides assistance in developing aquaculture ventures.
The majority of services for the sector in the region can he found in Hawaii, where there are professional consulting companies and individual consultants for all aspects of the industry, as well as private institutions (the Oceanic Institute) and University of Hawaii departmental staff. In addition, considerable expertise is available through France Aquaculture from IFREMER in French Polynesia and New Caledonia.
At the present time there is little credit going into the aquaculture industry in the region, although a considerable amount goes into small-scale fisheries. In Tonga, for example, the government expenditures for development are approximately Pa'A. 11 million per annum, and the Tonga Development Bank provides credit to fishermen on the average of Pa'A. 160 000 per year. The Guam Economic Development Authority has provided loans to aquaculturists and to the Guam Aquaculture Association.
There is an increasing number of trade publications available in the region. This information is disseminated largely in the form of newsletters, but also some professional publications. The Pacific Aquaculture Association, based in the University of Hawaii (USA), publishes a quarterly newsletter called "PA'A". It is intended primarily for farmers, but includes information for non-producers.
The "Marron Growers' Bulletin" is produced by the Marron Growers' Association in Perth, Australia. In New Zealand there is the "Shellfish Newsletter" which provides information to growers of oysters, mussels, and abalone, and it is published by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries at Wellington. The Department also produces "Catch" and "Freshwater Catch".
Information concerning the cultivation of giant clams is disseminated in the "MMDC Bulletin", the newsletter of the Micronesian Mariculture Demonstration Center in Palau.
"Austrasian Aquaculture" is a professional trade magazine published in Australia.
The sector has access to many trade publications produced outside the region, but which often have articles and items relevant to the needs of the region. Principal trade magazines are "Fish Farming International" and "Fish Farmer", both published in the UK; and "Aquaculture Magazine", published in the USA, which annually produces a Buyer's Guide supplement.
A number of small technical assistance projects provide support services to aquaculture producers within the region. These have primarily focused on the development of hatcheries for seed production. The US Department of the Interior funds the newsletter of the Pacific Aquaculture Association, which is intended for farmers.
FAO, through a technical cooperation project, sent experts to improve the fry production capabilities of the Highlands Aquaculture Development Center carp and tilapia hatchery in Papua New Guinea.
Two consultants from France Aquaculture, one biologist and one aquaculture engineer, were provided by the South Pacific Commission to make recommendations for the renovation of the Guam Aquaculture Development and Training Center in Guam.
In the Federated States of Micronesia a hatchery for giant clams, partially funded by the Pacific Fisheries Development Foundation, is being constructed on Langar island in Pohnpei.
CIDA and the US Peace Corps are providing technical assistance to the Fisheries Department of Western Samoa in culture trials for the production of green mussels.
The giant clam hatchery in the Solomon Islands is operated with funds from the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and ICLARM.
The regional South Pacific Aquaculture Development Project, funded by the Government of Japan and executed by FAO, based in Fiji, held a regional workshop on milkfish culture development in Kiribati in 1988. It was attended by participants from the Cook Islands (1), Federated States of Micronesia (6), Kiribati (16), Marshall Islands (1), Nauru (1), Palau (1), Solomon Islands (1), Tonga (2), and Tuvalu (1), with experts from the region and from Asia (Philippines).
