SPC bids farewell to Mr Ben Ponia, who was the Aquaculture Adviser for almost nine years and with the support of his staff, put aquaculture back on the map in the Pacific in a positive light. Ben was also able to compile the most accurate statistics on aquaculture production for the Pacific over the period 1998–2007 (Ponia 2010). Ben left SPC to take up the position of Secretary of Marine Resources in the Cook Islands. All staff in the Coastal Fisheries Programme wish Ben well for the future in his new role, and all look forward to working with him and his staff in the future.

Ben’s replacement, Mr Robert Jimmy from Vanuatu, is no stranger to many fisheries people in the Pacific. Robert was the Director of Fisheries in Vanuatu for three years, and prior to this was the Head of the Coastal Science and Aquaculture Section. Robert has a Masters degree in Aquaculture and Fisheries as well as years of experience working in the aquaculture field. The Coastal Fisheries programme staff welcome Robert on board and look forward to working with him as he continues to take aquaculture in the Pacific forward.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) is an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.

Hundreds of species from the Pacific are listed under CITES (hard corals account for most of those) and are commonly traded from over 10 countries in the region. The CITES-listed species most commonly traded from the Pacific are stony corals and giant clams. These species are exported live for the aquarium trade[1] and dead (or shells) for the curio trade, and form the basis of commercial activities that generate revenues in both rural and urban areas.

Tahiti Aquaculture 2010 Seminar and Workshop: Sustainable Aquaculture on Tropical Islands (6-11 December 2010) is coming up. Please click here to download the leaflet.

If you wish to participate, you need to register (it's free). See details at www.peche.pf or contact Geneviève at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

By Monal Lal, Johnson Seeto and Tim Pickering

A milestone in aquaculture research has been achieved at the Seawater Laboratory of the Division of Marine Studies at the University of the South Pacific (USP). In post-graduate research co-supervised by SPC’s Aquaculture Section, the Monkey River prawn Macrobrachium lar has been successfully reared in captivity for the first time ever — from eggs through the planktonic larval phase of their lifecycle to the post-larval stage.  

This is the abstract of a poster that was displayed at Australasia Aquaculture 2010 in Hobart, Australia. To download the poster, please click here.

After thirty years of aquarium trade, the total value of aquarium exports from the Pacific region is currently between USD 40 and 60 million – accounting for about 10–15% of the global trade. This trade has now become an important source of income and employment for local communities in the Pacific. For example, in Fiji Islands alone it provides employment for 600 people and fisheries revenue second only to tuna.

The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) has agreed to fund a project to assess growth and survival of hatchery-produced white teatfish (Holothuria fuscogilva) juveniles in the wild, in the atolls of Kiribati. This is a mini-project scheme that will be implemented by Kiribati’s Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resource Development (MFMRD) with technical assistance from SPC’s Aquaculture Section.