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Highlights

Pacific aquaculture experts team up with Asian counterparts

Friday 11 May, 2007, SPC Headquarters – Aquaculture is a young and promising industry in the Pacific region. To advance its progress, SPC (Secretariat of the Pacific Community) and Pacific aquaculture experts decided to team up with their Asian counterparts, NACA (Network of Aquaculture Centers in Asia-Pacific) for new training and research opportunities. Seven participants from various fisheries departments in the region and private sector operations – from Papua New Guinea, Fiji Islands, New Caledonia and French Polynesia – will begin a three-week course on operating a marine finfish hatchery (with an emphasis on grouper species) in Thailand next week.

‘Outsourcing our training to Asia is quite a new thing for SPC, but interesting in that it shows the value of links to this region,’ says Ben Ponia, SPC Aquaculture Adviser. ‘The marine fish farming sector is one of the most dynamic in Asia. The training will enable our people to take stock of the successes of Asian operations, which are similar to theirs if you compare the level of technology used or the environmental constraints they have to deal with.’

World aquaculture production of groupers (FAO data) is around 6,000–7,000 tonnes per annum, valued at about USD 60 million. The bulk of this production comes from wild seed stock. Hatchery production of groupers is still low and irregular – they are difficult to rear because of their specific feed and environmental requirements. Developing skills in marine hatchery operation in the Pacific region is a new but promising venture, given the growing interest and demand for fish on local and international markets.

SPC’s aquaculture and fisheries training sections are working in collaboration with NACA and Thailand’s Department of Fisheries.

‘We hope that next week’s course will be the first of many. The training is the first step towards consolidating the aquaculture industry in the Pacific and offering new skills to our Pacific Island countries and territories,’ says Ben Ponia.

For more information, please contact Antoine Teitelbaum, SPC Aquaculture Officer or visit the SPC aquaculture website: http://www.spc.int/aquaculture/site/home/index.asp.

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