The Fishery and Aquaculture sector profile available for this country is: Cook islands - National Fishery Sector Overview (from NFSO) NFSO National Fishery Sector Overview - provides a comprehensive overview of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors for each country featured, including economic and demographic information, structure of the industry, development prospects, sector management and status and trends....more GENERAL ECONOMIC DATA
Estimated employment in fisheries (2000)
General Cook Islands are an archipelagic state comprising 15 widely scattered islands with a total land area of 237 sq. km., distributed in an EEZ of over 1.8 million sq. km. The EEZ of the Cook Islands adjoins the zones of Niue, American Samoa, Tokelau, Kiribati, and French Polynesia. The islands form two groups: the Northern Cooks, all of which are atolls, and the Southern Cooks, which are mostly high islands, although with one or two atolls or semi-atolls. The cash economy is best developed on Rarotonga, the capital and seat of government and where about half the population resides. The next most developed island is Aitutaki, which is a popular tourist destination. Since 1965 the Cook Islands have been a self-governing country in free association with New Zealand. The national government is based on the parliamentary system and lower levels of government consist of island, district, and village councils. Cook Islanders are citizens of both the Cook Islands and New Zealand. The free movement of Cook Islanders to New Zealand has major implications for employment and development; there are almost twice as many people of Cook Islands decent in New Zealand as in the Cook Islands. There are no major bodies of freshwater in the Cook Islands. Marine fishing and mariculture activities are therefore the dominant components of the fisheries sector. Marine fisheries The Cook Islands’ marine fisheries include extensive subsistence and artisanal harvesting of a wide variety of inshore reef and lagoon fish and invertebrate species, as well as a small longline fishery for tuna, and the commercial collection of ornamental fish for the aquarium market. In the Northern Group and in the smaller islands of the Southern Group, fishing remains largely subsistence in nature and is mostly conducted from small outboard-powered craft and canoes in the lagoons and along the outer reef edge. Bottom handlining, spearing, gill netting, scoop-netting of flying fish and reef gleaning for invertebrates are common activities throughout the group. In addition to subsistence harvesting, small-scale commercial fishing occurs in the more populated southern islands, particularly Rarotonga and Aitutaki where urban populations and tourism have created a strong demand for fresh fish and seafood. The 1996 census indicated a total of 1,291 fishing boats, of which 26% were located on Rarotonga. Since the 1980s there has been an active programme of fish aggregation device (FAD) deployment in the Cook Islands to facilitate the capture of tuna and other pelagic species. In the past two decades 60 FADs were deployed in the Cook Islands – mainly off Rarotonga, but also near Aitutaki, Mangaia, Atiu, Mauke, Mitiaro, Palmerston, Manihiki, and Penrhyn. The FADs, costing about US$2250 apiece, have lasted an average of 18 months. According to the Ministry of Marine Resources, the FADs have been responsible for a large increase in the landings of pelagic fish species. In mid-2001 a New Zealand-sponsored FAD project commenced. Over a three-year period the project will develop a more cost-efficient FAD and conduct a study of the benefits. Tuna is also caught by a small fleet of locally-based longliners, as well as fleets based in foreign countries. In the four-year period 1994 to 1997 the total catch taken by local longliners was 300 mt or 75 mt per year. It is reported that in 1998 and 1999 the foreign longliner tuna catch was 688 mt and 295 mt, respectively. Although the Cook Islands is located outside the area where most tuna purse seining occurs, some seine catches have been made. The US purse seine fleet, fishing in the region under a multi-lateral treaty, reported catching 216 mt of tuna in the northern part of the Cook Islands in 1999. The catching of flyingfish at night is quite important in the Cook Islands, especially Rarotonga. This commercial fishery evolved from a traditional Polynesian technique in which palm frond torches and dip nets were used from outrigger canoes. In modern times a high-powered light is affixed to a helmet worn by the fisherman. This allows the fishermen to direct the light while still having use of both hands to maneuver a small outboard-powered boat and manipulate a dipnet for scooping flyingfish. It has been estimated that about 60 mt of flyingfish is taken each year in the Cook Islands. Trochus (Trochus niloticus) was introduced to Aitutaki in the Cook Islands from Fiji in the late 1950s and first fished in 1981 when 200 t were harvested. Since then trochus has been harvested in Aitutaki during twelve specified periods in the 1980s and 1990s. During each of these harvests from 8 mt to 200 mt were landed. The Aitutaki trochus fishery is currently managed on an individual transferable quota system. Many fishery specialists in the Pacific Islands consider the trochus fishery in Aitutaki to be the best managed fishery in the region. Trochus has also been introduced to most of the other Cook Islands and is believed to be abundant at many locations. A fishery for aquarium species began in Rarotonga in the late 1980s. About 35 species of aquarium fish are taken in depths ranging from 8 to 35 metres. According to the Ministry of Marine Resources, the most important species are the flame angel, red hawkfish, ventralis, Scott’s wrasse, and lemon-peel angel fish. In the 1990s from 10,000 to 20,000 aquarium fish were taken per year. The aquarium fish are exported by air, mainly to the USA. The Cook Islands has a long history of pearl shell fishing based in several of the atolls of the Northern Group. This fishery flourished up to the mid-1950s after which it suffered a catastrophic collapse due to reductions in the price of pearl shell on overseas markets. Inland fisheries and aquaculture The absence of any substantial freshwater bodies mean that there are no inland fisheries or freshwater aquaculture of significance in the Cook Islands. However mariculture (marine aquaculture) is now economically significant. Culture trials of the black-lipped pearl oyster (Pinctada margaritifera) commenced in Manihiki around 1973. By 1988 more than 40 pearl farms had been established there, and were successfully producing both half and whole pearls. The number of farms increased rapidly thereafter and by 1990 97 farms were in operation. The first annual pearl auction was held in 1990 and approximately 6,000 pearls were sold for US$ 0.78 million. In 2000 there were about 100 pearl farms on Manihiki (about 1.5 million adult oysters being cultured) and on Penrhyn about 100 farms (200,000 oysters cultured). The Ministry of Marine Resources operates a pearl oyster hatchery on Penrhyn and is encouraging the spread of pearl farming to Palmerston, Aitutaki, and Pukupuka. Recently the hatchery was upgraded and the production of spat from the facility was improved. A census and mapping of the pearl oyster farms in Manihiki was completed in early 2000. A giant clam hatchery was established on Aitutaki in the 1980s and is successfully producing juvenile clams. The hatchery has worked with three introduced species of giant clam (Tridacna derasa, T. gigas, Hippopus hippopus) as well as the two local species (T.maxima, T.squamosa). With respect to increasing the number of clams in the lagoons, the current thinking of the Ministry of Marine Resources is that the most effective way is to manage existing stocks to allow then to re-populate the lagoons naturally. There is a tradition in some Cook Island atolls of stocking brackish water ponds with juvenile milkfish (Chanos chanos) and harvesting them once they have grown to maturity. This traditional form of ranching is limited in extent and is essentially a form of subsistence fishing for periods of inclement weather. Utilization of the catch In the outer islands where subsistence fishing prevails, fish catches often exceed demand and simple preservation techniques such as salting and drying are regularly employed to prevent wastage of surplus catches. On Rarotonga, and to a lesser extent on Aitutaki, where the cash economy is better developed and where tourism is concentrated, demand for fresh fish and seafood often exceeds supply. A survey of fish prices in 2000 showed that the limited amount of fish sold in the northern group islands commanded around US$1.15 to $1.40 per kg, compared to about US$2.75 in Aitutaki and $4.50 per kg in Rarotonga. A number of attempts have been made to provide access to the Rarotonga market for outer island fishers. Fish collection and transportation schemes have been sponsored both by government and by private entrepreneurs but have met with only very limited success. These projects have generally been constrained by unsuitable or erratic shipping services, and by inadequate catch handling facilities and procedures at the fishing sites. Nevertheless refrigeration facilities exist on all the outer islands and frozen fish is sporadically sent to Rarotonga as gifts for family members, or for sale. Palmerston atoll in particular supplies substantial quantities of fish to the Rarotonga market on an opportunistic basis. According to the Ministry of Marine Resources, there were no fresh fish exports from the Cook Islands in 2000. During some years high quality tuna taken by locally-based longliners are occasionally shipped to markets in Hawaii, the US mainland and New Zealand, with the lower value-component of the catch being disposed of on the local market. Small quantities of seafood products, mostly from reef and lagoon fisheries, are also exported, often as the personal consignments of passengers traveling to New Zealand Korean and Taiwanese longliners that have in the past been licensed to fish in the Cook Islands have generally landed their catches at canneries in Pago Pago or transhipped frozen product for consignment to other ports. The tuna catches made by US purse seine vessels are offloaded at Pago Pago. Little or no tuna transshipment takes place in Cook Island ports. The trochus shell in recent years has been exported to mainly Europe where it is used in the manufacture of high quality buttons. The pearls and pearl-based jewelry products are both sold locally and shipped to markets in metropolitan countries. Demand Fish and marine resources have always been an important component of the diet of Cook Islanders. In the less-populated outer islands where subsistence fisheries prevail, resources generally have been adequate to supply demand and it has been possible on occasions to send surplus catches for sale in Rarotonga, or to salt and dry them for later use or trade. On Rarotonga, and to a lesser extent on Aitutaki, the predominance of the cash economy and a rapid growth in tourism has created strong demand for fresh fish which has resulted in prices that are beyond the reach of many local residents. There have been several estimates of fish consumption in the Cook Islands. A study on Penrhyn in the early 1990s indicated the annual per capita consumption of fish was very large - 219 kg. Most country-wide estimates of fish consumption during the last decade suggest an intake from 47 to 71 kg per person per year. Economic role A recent review of the Cook Islands economy by the Asian Development Bank indicated that pearl production has expanded recently, though the extent of this expansion has been disguised by the under-reporting of sales to evade tax and royalty payments. Using the Ministry of Marine Resources estimate of pearl and other fishery production, it is estimated that that fishing and aquaculture contributed about US$ 8.6 million to the Cook Islands’ GDP of US$ 79.8 million, or about 10.8% of the total. The 1996 census of the Cook Islands indicates 4,435 people (3,517 males, 918 females) were involved in subsistence fishing. This represents about 22% of the population. Data on formal employment in the fisheries sector is more difficult to obtain but census data and information from the Ministry of Marine Resources suggests that about 160 people were directly employed in fisheries in 1966. According to the Cook Islands Statistics Office, exports of fishery/aquaculture products in 1999 accounted for about 82% of all exports from the country. DEVELOPMENT PROSPECTS The Cook Islands Government’s stated priorities for the conservation and utilisation of fisheries and marine resources are to increase self-sufficiency in marine-sourced foods and to encourage import substitution. There is still scope for the further development of Cook Islands’ fisheries, especially for offshore pelagic species. Coastal reef and lagoon species offer less potential for economic development, especially in the northern islands due to their remoteness, fragility, and importance as a source of subsistence nutrition. Economic restructuring measures in 1995 resulted in a more than 50% reduction in public service employment, and this resulted in a significant increase in subsistence and artisanal fishing effort. Partly due to this, the Ministry of Marine Resources was involved in the establishment of marine reserves in some areas, implementation of a giant clam re-stocking programme and continued the FAD deployment programme. The recent rapid development of the black pearl industry in Manihiki has given much cause for optimism in other islands, and the government is encouraging the emulation of this success at other sites. On Penrhyn, where it has been recently estimated that only one percent of the area available to pearl farming is being utilized, a pearl farming research and training facility has been established. The spread of pearl farming to Palmerston, Aitutaki, and Pukupuka is being promoted. This enthusiasm must be tempered with the susceptibility of such aquaculture enterprises to natural disasters - most of the pearl farming installations in Manihiki were destroyed or severely damaged by a cyclone which struck the island in late 1997. The introduction of trochus to Aitutaki and the subsequent management measures were quite successful. The secondary transplantations to the other islands of the country have resulted in establishment of trochus populations at several locations. Provided that effective management can be implemented, the long-term prospects for trochus in the Cook Islands appears promising. Access fees paid by foreign fishing fleets to longline for tuna in the Cook Islands’ EEZ have generated substantial income. Continued participation in multi-lateral licensing arrangements is likely to continue to be quite favorable to the Cook Islands. Despite initial problems, a domestically based small-scale tuna longline fishery appears to have good potential. The present efforts to develop a long-term management plan for tuna should clarify the major opportunities and required measures for maximizing benefits from the tuna resources. INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS The Marine Resources Act (1989) is the cornerstone of the Cook Islands’ control over the exploitation and management of the fisheries resources. The major features of the Act are:
Minor amendments were made to the Act in 1990 and 1991. The most significant change was increasing the maximum fine from “not exceeding $100,000" to “not less than $100,000". Marine Resources (Licensing and Regulation of Fishing Vessels) Regulation 1995 gives license applications, fees, grounds for refusal, and general conditions for local fishing, sport fishing and foreign fishing. Also covered are the requirements for transshipment, fish processing establishments, fish aggregation devices, and aquarium fish fishing. Other legislation relevant to fisheries includes:
Responsibility for fisheries and marine resource matters is vested in the Ministry of Marine Resources (MMR), headed by the Secretary for Marine Resources. The Ministry was established in 1984 under the Ministry of Marine Resources Act, when it replaced the Fisheries Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. The MMR is headquartered at Rarotonga, but also maintains staff on the islands of Pukapuka, Manihiki, Aitutaki, Rakahanga, Penrhyn and Mitiaro. There are currently 48 staff in the Ministry. The MMR is structured in four divisions:
INTERNATIONAL ISSUES The Ministry of Marine Resources maintains direct contact on technical issues with regional and international organisations dealing in fisheries. Policy and other matters are managed in the first instance through designated contact points, most often the Department of Foreign Affairs. Cook Islands is a member of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), the South Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) and the South Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP). Cook Islands is party to a number of treaties and agreements relating to the management of regional fisheries, including:
Cook Islands is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 Relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks, and the Convention on the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean. RESEARCH AND TRAINING The Ministry of Marine Resources undertakes fisheries and aquaculture research in the Cook Islands. The research that has taken place is grouped in the following categories:
The Ministry of Marine Resources operates a pearl hatchery at Penrhyn, a giant clam hatchery at Aitutaki, a marine laboratory at Manihiki, and a water quality laboratory at Rarotonga. There is no institution offering formal fisheries-related training in the Cook Islands. Scientific and vocational training are usually arranged through institutions in Fiji, New Zealand, Australia or elsewhere, often using the numerous short-term opportunities available through bilateral and multilateral aid programmes. AID New Zealand is by far the largest donor of development assistance to the Cook Islands, the amount being reviewed annually by the New Zealand government. Direct assistance to development of the fisheries sector has flowed from a range of sources, including FAO, UNDP, UNCDF, EU, USAID, JICA, NZODA, AUSAID, ACIAR, FFA, SPC, ICOD and CIDA. Projects have variously been concerned with the provision of shore-based plant and equipment (buildings, ice plant, aquaculture and mariculture research and training centres, fisheries stations), fishing vessel construction, research, fisheries harbours, marketing, training, and fish aggregation devices (FADs). In recent years much fisheries aid has been directed towards supporting the development of the pearl culture industry. INTERNET LINKS http://www.spc.int/coastfish/Countries/CookIslands- is the website of the Cook Islands Ministry of Marine Resources. It has comprehensive information on Cook Island fishery resources and their management. http://www.wwfpacific.org.fjhas information on sea turtles in the Cook Islands http://www.cookislands-invest.comcontains information on investing in the Cook Islands, including that in the fisheries sector http://www.adb.orghas detailed information on the economy of the Cook Islands and the contribution of fisheries http://www.seafari.co.ckhas information about sportfishing in the Cook Islands
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