6.1 United Nations organizations in the region
6.2 Other organizations in the region
6.3 Economic communities of the region
6.4 Regional and global aquaculture development projects
The countries of the Pacific are active in a number of regional organizations in which aquaculture has been recognized as a sector, either individually or as a component of a larger sector such as fisheries or agriculture, and which has received support in some form.
The principal regional organizations are Chose of the United Nations in which some of the countries actively participate as members, specifically Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Western Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. Sovereign states not members of the UN are Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga, and Tuvalu.
Most of these same countries participate in the individual organizations of the UN system which are actively represented in the region. These include the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Bank (WB), etc. All these organizations have substantial records of providing technical and capital assistance to aquaculture development worldwide, and some in the region.
Other UN organizations represented in the region and active in the development of aquaculture (but predominantly outside the region) are the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Some specialized agencies of the UN which also work in the field are the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). Not all these organizations or agencies have yet worked specifically in the Pacific region in aquaculture.
A principal organization in the Pacific region is the South Pacific Commission (SPC) to which some 27 countries belong, including some from outside the region but which have territorial interests. Stated activities of the SPC include programmes in Marine Resources, aimed at increasing fish production in accordance with national planning objectives, and Rural Management and Technology, aimed at watershed management and maintaining the quality of island and coastal waters. The SPC, based in Noumea, New Caledonia, provides information and technical assistance in developing, surveying and regulating island fisheries. The involvement of the organization in aquaculture is primarily in the areas of overlap with fisheries management, particularly in species introductions and reseeding efforts.
The South Pacific Bureau for Economic Co-operation (SPEC) has 11 member countries. Members include all the independent countries within the region, including Australia and New Zealand, but French and American territories are excluded. One of its associated organizations is the South Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) which facilitates, promotes, and coordinates cooperation and mutual assistance among coastal states in the region in the matter of fisheries. SPEC also operates the Forum Shipping Line. The FFA is concerned with monitoring fishing activity within the region and training fisheries personnel, but so far it has not been active in aquaculture (unlike the previous South Pacific Islands Fisheries Development Agency, SPIFDA).
There is an office of the Delegation of the Commission of the European Communities for the Pacific established in Suva, Fiji (see 6.3).
The newly established Center for Tropical and Subtropical Aquaculture is funded by the USA (Department of Agriculture) in Hawaii, jointly administered by the Oceanic Institute and the University of Hawaii, with the purpose of aiding development of aquaculture within the US-affiliated islands of the Pacific. These include Hawaii, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia (Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap districts), Palau, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
The Pacific Fisheries Development Council (PFDC) has funded small scale development projects in the region, but few aquaculture projects have received support. One project has been funded at MMDC in Palau for a number of years. Recently PFDC funds were granted to the University of Guam Marine Laboratory for research to assist the development of culture-based reef fisheries.
ICLARM, which is headquartered in the Philippines, is active in cooperative research in the region. It has established a Coastal Aquaculture Center at Honiara, Solomon Islands for joint research with staff of James Cook University, Australia, and funded by the Australian Center for International Research (ACIAR).
ACIAR, which is located in Canberra, Australia, has also been active in the support of other aquaculture research projects in the region. In addition to the work in the Solomon Islands it funds another project on Vanuatu.
From France, both IFREMER and its subsidiary France Aquaculture have been active in the development of aquaculture within the region. Hatcheries and research centres of IFREMER have been established at Tahiti, French Polynesia, and in New Caledonia. With the assistance of IFREMER and France Aquaculture, commercial farms for production of marine shrimp have been established in French Polynesia, New Caledonia, and Fiji. A commercial farm for freshwater prawns has been similarly assisted and established in Tahiti.
The East/West Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, promotes research and provides training and and technical assistance relevant to aquaculture development through the Environment and Policy Institute and the Pacific Islands Development Program. The Environmental and Policy Institute is involved in the development of resource planning and assessment, while the Pacific Islands Development Program is involved with island development.
The British Development Division in the Pacific (BDDP) has established an office staffed with a professional fisheries advisor in Suva, Fiji.
One United Nations organization of particular importance to the region, including also Asia, is the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). Ten sovereign states are members, specifically Australia, Fiji, Nauru, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu, Western Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. Associate members are Cook Islands, Guam, Kiribati, Niue, and the Trust Territories of the Pacific. ESCAP has a prime interest in agriculture to analyse and formulate regional and national policies that lead to increased agriculture production.
Eight Pacific states, Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Western Samoa adhere to the Third Lome Convention of the European Community. The Convention provides for Community funds to help finance projects in ACP (African, Caribbean, and Pacific) countries through the European Development Fund and the European Investment Bank. The European Community has been most active in its financial support to the aquaculture sector.
There are few regional development projects within the area. Three regional aquaculture development projects are listed in the Aquaculture Aid Profiles (ADCP, 1988). All are being implemented in Melanesia.
A regional project for Aquaculture Development in the Pacific was started in 1986 and based in Suva, Fiji. The office is headed by a professional aquaculturist. The objective of the project is to assist the development of aquaculture in the Pacific islands. The programme is funded by the Government of Japan and executed by FAO.
The UNDP/FAO South Pacific Regional Fishery Support Development Programme (SPRFSP) is also based in Suva, Fiji. This office is supporting the development of fisheries bibliographies, which include aquaculture, within the region.
Finally, UNDP created the Aquaculture Development and Coordination Programme (ADCP) in support of global initiatives in aquaculture. Its prime activities have extended into Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Mediterranean regions. Advisory and guideline publications deal with both administration of the sector, such as technical assistance, economic development, planning, engineering, marketing, etc., and in technology. The Programme is executed by FAO and based in Rome, Italy.
The Direction Territoriale des Services Ruraux of New Caledonia administers a grant from the European Development Fund of Brussels, Belgium to develop freshwater aquaculture in Melanesian-inhabited areas.
