Gillett, R. (2011). Fisheries of the Pacific Islands: Regional and national information. FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand. RAP publication 2011/03, 279 pages.

The Pacific Island region consists of fourteen independent countries and eight territories located in the western and central Pacific Ocean. These comprise about 200 high islands and some 2 500 low islands and atolls. Coastal fishing is of fundamental importance in the Pacific Islands. Much of the region’s nutrition, welfare, culture, employment, and recreation are based on the living resources in the zone between the shoreline and the outer reefs. The continuation of current lifestyles, the opportunities for future development and food security are all highly dependent on coastal fisheries resources.

Although dwarfed in both volume and value by the offshore tuna fisheries, the Pacific Island fisheries that are based on coastal resources provide most of the non-imported fish supplies to the region. Coastal fisheries harvest a very diverse range of finfish, invertebrates and algae. Unlike the tuna fishery, virtually all the coastal catch is undertaken by Pacific Islanders themselves, with very little access by foreign fishing vessels.

In contrast to the coastal fisheries, offshore fishing is dominated by large industrial-scale fishing vessels. Approximately 1 500 of these vessels operate in the EEZs of Pacific Island countries, mainly using purse seine, longline, and pole-and-line gear to catch tuna. There are about 327 vessels operated by national operations and approximately 1 200 foreign-based vessels operating in the waters of Pacific Island countries. It is important to note that the license fees paid to Pacific Island countries by these foreignbased vessels is substantial, and in some countries represents the major source of government revenue.

Statistics and information are of variable quality in the region. This publication attempts a significant effort to consolidate a variety of sources into a single coherent review. As such it is a timely contribution to our general understanding of the status of the fisheries in the Pacific Islands. The region’s fishery resources can be broadly split into two main categories: oceanic, and coastal or inshore. Oceanic resources include tunas, billfish and allied species. They are characterized by an open-water pelagic habitat, potentially extensive individual movements. Coastal or inshore resources include a wide range of finfish and invertebrates. They are characterized by their shallow water habitats or demersal life-styles, and restriction of individual movements to coastal areas. This paper discusses these resource categories. Information is provided on the major types of fishing, the important species, the status of those resources, and the fisheries management that occurs. The report also provides information on the fisheries in the 14 independent Pacific Island countries in following categories:

General geographic and economic data Fisheries data Fishery sector structure Post-harvest use Fishery sector performance Fishery sector development Fishery sector institutions General legal framework