Fisheries projects in focus

World Oceans Day on June 8 is a global day of ocean celebration and collaboration for a better future. ACIAR has been involved in ocean research for many years and things are going swimmingly in our fisheries projects. We’re currently funding ocean-based research in countries from Kiribati to Vietnam and Tanzania, and in Australia.

Young sandfish in Kiribati

Our Fisheries program works to make fisheries and aquatic farming systems more productive and sustainable in our partner countries. Fisheries contribute to food security, alleviate poverty and prevent malnutrition in the developing world.

 

Ocean tilapia seedstock in Indonesia

Here’s a sample of what we’re doing in the world of oceans:

ACIAR is helping Kiribati, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to manage community-based fisheries and improving community-based aquaculture in Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, and Vanuatu. Inshore fisheries and marine resources supply daily protein and income for villagers and coastal people in Pacific Island Countries.  

In Papua New Guinea, we are developing aquaculture planning systems for management agencies and improving fish husbandry techniques for small-scale fish farmers. We are developing the mariculture sector and working with the government to reduce illegal activity and over-exploitation of marine resources in the Torres Strait. 

Culture-based fisheries can increase fish production and improve rural community well-being. ACIAR is developing culture-based fisheries in Cambodia and Myanmar. In South-East Asia, we are helping Vietnam and the Philippines to farm giant groupers. In Indonesia, we are reducing the effects of disease by developing strategies to manage the health of finfish.  In Timor-Leste we are working to improve livelihoods and resource management in coastal communities.

Small scale fishing on the Ayewarwady Delta, Myanmar

Sea cucumbers are a highly valued commodity consumed as food or medicine in Asia, and their harvest supports livelihoods in coastal communities throughout Asia and the Pacific.  Sea cucumbers are worth $20–50 million per year in exports from Pacific island countries; the second most valuable marine export from the region after tuna.  ACIAR is developing commercial-scale hatcheries for sea cucumbers in Vietnam and the Philippines and working on post-harvest processing in Kiribati, Tonga and Fiji. 

Cultured pearls are the Pacific region’s most valuable and highest priority aquaculture commodity.  Pearl culture is compatible with traditional lifestyles and provides several opportunities for generating income.  ACIAR is supporting pearl industries in Fiji, Tonga, and Papua New Guinea.  In Fiji, we are also researching pearl oyster mortality and establishing a commercial giant clam hatchery, to help the industry to recover from Cyclone Winston. We are now looking at developing a pearl culture in coastal Tanzania, using the methods we’ve developed over recent times in the Pacific.

Ocean seaweed farming  in Indonesia

Seaweed is an important commodity for aquaculture in the Pacific.  Seaweeds are produced for food and as industrial products throughout the Pacific, and many communities rely on this income.  ACIAR is diversifying seaweed industries in Fiji, Samoa and Kiribati. Indonesia is the world’s second largest producer of seaweeds, and we are improving the country’s seaweed production and processing opportunities.

Lobsters are a premium seafood, in great demand in China and elsewhere, and farming lobsters can provide poor coastal villages with a valuable and sustainable enterprise.  We are expanding shiny lobster aquaculture in Indonesia, and helping the government to improve marine lobster resources through habitat rehabilitation and restocking.  

On crustaceans, we are improving the management of the Gulf of Papua prawn fishery, and helping Papua New Guinea to export its products to the United States.  We are also increasing hatchery-based bivalve mollusk production in Vietnam. 

We are building the capacity of local fishery agencies.  We are training staff at the Papua New Guinean National Fisheries Authority in research and project management skills and improving fish identification and fisheries monitoring in Indonesia. 

The small fisheries team at ACIAR is keeping pretty busy with all these ocean research projects, from pearls to sea cucumbers to fishery monitoring systems.

Fishing families depend on fish passage in Laos

Here’s a full list of our current fishery projects:

http://aciar.gov.au/programarea/Fisheries/projects/current