By Antoine Teitelbaum and Sompert Gereva

 

 

 

In the past few years, all of the necessary ingredients for making aquaculture viable have come together in Vanuatu: political and economic stability, an ideal geographic location, and the much-needed support from the government.

 

Aquaculture commodities targeting food markets, stock enhancement or live aquarium markets are progressing towards economic viability and sustainability. Although more commodities are being produced on a small scale in Vanuatu, the characteristics of the main aquaculture productions are described below.

 

Aquaculture for food

 Teouma Prawns Ltd, Vanuatu’s largest aquaculture facility, produced 16 metric tonnes (mt) of blue shrimp (Litopenaeus stylirostris) in 2006 and 18 mt in 2007. Although Teouma Prawns Ltd has a hatchery, the propagation of blue shrimp has been problematic, due to non-optimal environmental parameters. Therefore, the Government of Vanuatu, through the Departments of Fisheries and Quarantine, has assisted Teouma Prawns Ltd with the importation of post-larvae from Brunei. The company has the potential of producing 85 mt of shrimp per year, and is planning to produce species such as Penaeus monodon and P. vannamei at its hatchery (using pathogen-free broodstock imported from Hawaii).  As reported in Fisheries Newsletter #121 (2007), the large-scale production of red tilapia (Oreochromis sp.) in Lake Manuro (East Efate) by Vate Ocean Gardens is doing well. The fingerlings, imported from Thailand, are cultured in hapa nets and fed with meat meal (from the Port Vila abattoir) until they reach 50 g. They are then fed with imported formulated tilapia feed from Thailand and cultured in floating cages. In mid-2007, there was a very positive market response to the 12 mt of fish produced in 2006. These fish were sold under the name of “perche cerise” (French for “cherry perch”). Vate Ocean Gardens intends to increase production to 2.5 mt per week. This initiative has proven that “perche cerise” is acceptable as a valuable food fish for both the local market and the high-end restaurant and hotel market. The Vanuatu Fisheries Department is interested in pursuing its ongoing efforts of promoting tilapia in rural communities in the future. 

 

Aquaculture for stock enhancement  

Trochus (Trochus niloticus) remain a valuable export commodity. Overall, the total trochus export for 2007 was 55.2 mt with a total export value of USD780,000. This is a significant increase from 2006, which was 35 mt. In 2007, 51% of the trochus shells processed for export originated from Tafea Province, followed by Sanma, Shefa Malampa and Penama provinces. These shells are not cultured, but the Vanuatu Fisheries Department still produces juvenile trochus for stock enhancement purposes. It is estimated that 10,000–20,000 pieces are produced per year. The minimum harvesting size for all trochus in Vanuatu’s waters is 9 cm (basal diameter).

Tridacna gigas, the true giant clam, is extinct from the Vanuatu archipelago but was re-introduced from Tonga. This arrangement was done in exchange of 70 adult T. crocea exported from Vanuatu to Tonga. A total of 400 T. gigas clams (22–26 cm shell length) were imported and placed on reefs near villages in North Efate: Mangaliliu, Tassiriki and Sunae (Mosso Island). Survival was reasonably high after transport, and in early 2008, most clams measured over 30 cm. These T. gigas will later be used for broodstock and their offspring will be reseeded on Vanuatu’s reefs.

Green snail (Turbo marmoratus) seeds are currently being cultured at the Vanuatu Fisheries Department as part of the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) funded ”Grace of the sea” project. The first mass seed production of green snail was conducted in February 2007. The survival rate was less than 1000 juveniles, but 3500 more animals were produced in September. Large adult green snails were translocated from Aneityum to restocking sites north of Efate. The aim of translocating the animals is to create a group of protected spawners that will likely help in naturally reseeding the reefs at low cost. These spawning groups are protected by coastal communities with assistance of Vanuatu’s Fisheries Department and JICA.

 

Exports for the ornamental trade 

The colourful species of giant clams (Tridacna spp.) remain a favourite export commodity for the aquarium trade. The trade of wild clams has been banned from Vanuatu and all exported animals must now be cultured. In addition to the Vanuatu Fisheries Department hatchery, which has been producing clam spat for the past few years, two private companies are producing clams for the ornamental trade. The demand for giant clams is still high and the companies can’t always keep up with demand. Vanuatu’s Fisheries Department is pushing hard to involve communities in grow-out farming of clams. In February 2008, the first batch of T. squamosa were transferred by sea to coastal waters for grow-out in sea cages. The highest value species for the aquarium trade are the colorful, but slow growing, T. maxima and T. crocea, although other species are also exported. T. squamosa is a fast growing species that fetches a fair value. In 2007, over 10,000 pieces were exported and this amount is expected to increase in the near future.

Corals are still popular aquarium items. The aquaculture of corals has developed in Vanuatu since the trade of wild-caught fragments from the reef is prohibited. Two private companies now carry out these practices on a commercial basis using mostly, but not only, fast growing species such as branching staghorn corals (Acropora spp.). The corals are farmed directly in the sea, using various settling substrates, and then placed on tables and left to grow for four months to a year. Six thousand pieces were exported from Vanuatu in 2007 and this activity is also likely to increase in the near future.

 

Institutional strengthening of the aquaculture sector 

The Vanuatu Fisheries Department is about to release its aquaculture development plan. This document demonstrates the much needed support to the sector. The Vanuatu Aquaculture Association is about to be established and will be based on the Fisheries Department’s premises. The association’s aim is to promote and assist with the development of aquaculture in Vanuatu. There will be an update on both of these events in the next issue of the Fisheries Newsletter.

For more information, contact Sompert Rena Gereva (Senior Fisheries Biologist at Vanuatu Fisheries Department): This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Antoine Teitelbaum (SPC Aquaculture Officer): This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it