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Note from the editor
To begin this issue we welcome a contribution from Sébastien
Larrue, who in Giant clam fishing on the island of Tubuai, Austral
Islands group: between local portrayals, economic necessity and
ecological realities reviews conflicting perspectives on the
introduction
of a management system for giant clams (Tridacna maxima).
Giant clams have become an important source of cash on
this French Polynesian island, but exports to Tahiti threaten
the sustainability of the fishery. The local situation is complex.
On the one hand, the Tahiti Fisheries Department wants to
monitor exports, while on the other, local island authorities
debate a possible modernisation of the rahui, a traditional system
of lagoon management. Many fishers do not support the
claims of the scientific community, and in this they are widely
supported by elders, whose views are in turn contested by certain
‘wise men’. It makes for an interesting read.
Anna Tiraa continues the theme of rahui in a modern context
with her contribution, Ra’ui in the Cook Islands – today’s context
in Rarotonga. She describes the efforts of a group of traditional
leaders to reintroduce the ra’ui around the coast of Rarotonga.
One leader noted “…there was resistance because the younger
generation didn’t know what ra’ui meant. They didn’t realise
that in those days the fish were bigger and they weren’t
scarce”. Unfortunately, this is becoming a widespread lament,
and one that will certainly have a serious impact on the content
and transmission of local knowledge.
Based on their experience in establishing marine protection in
the Western Solomon Islands, in the third article, Early effects
of a community-based marine protected area on the food security of
participating households, Pamela Weiant and Shankar Aswani
seek to understand the contribution of some women’s fishing
activities to meeting livelihood needs, differences
in household responses to a CB-MPA, and the relationship
between food security and reef health. Their
contribution is particularly valuable because in
other studies of CB-MPA these topics have remained
relatively unexamined.
Finally, we introduce a new eBook publisher, the
International Resources Management Institute based in
Hong Kong, and announce its first publication.
Kenneth Ruddle (mb5k-rddl@asahi-net.or.jp)
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Giant clam fishing on the island of Tubuai, Austral
Islands group: between local portrayals, economic necessity and
ecological realities
by Sébastien Larrue (pdf: 303k)
Ra’ui in the Cook Islands – today’s context
in Rarotonga
Anna Tiraa (pdf: 78k)
Early effects
of a community-based marine protected area on the food security of
participating households
Pamela Weiant and Shankar Aswani (pdf
812k)
New Publication:
Fermented fish products in East Asia: IRMI Research Study 1 (pdf
42k)
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