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transition into depths exceeding 2,000 rnetres is normally precipitous. The smallness of the
land nrasses greatly restricts the rutrient run-off availeble to enrich [he g.rrrounding ocean.
Thereforer the watera anrrounding them ere typically clear and blue and, cornpared to
continentel coaetal areas, of low productivity. As a result of this lack of extensive
continental shelf or coestal enrichment, small lgland stetes have limited inshore fish resources
and hence restricted new inshore fishery potentiale. On the other frand, the existing inehore
fieh regources have provided the bulk of the animal protein consunEd by Pacific lglanders
since the islandg were firet eettled. In npst csseg modern gear developnnnts should enable
total cetchee to be increased, thereby realizing a potential. With minimal appropriete
rBnsqement this invaluable potential should remain in perpetui[y so long ae tolal human
populations remain within reaeonabb bounds. Management will, however, not be without its
probhms, some of which have been previously discussed (Kearney l9g0).
Aquaculturu potentialr
There have been rurerous attempt.s to establish aquaculture on a commercial basis in
the islands of the Pacific; these have in general been notable fon their lack of success.
Closed 8y8tem aquaculture in developing countries has, in the main, only been sccessful in
the langer countries where incomes are very low, population densiLies are high and natural
protein resources are restricLed (i.e. in areas such as southeast Asia). In general, continuous
access !o a relatively high priced luxury market is required for most commercial aquaculture
projects to be viable and these conditions are rare in the counLries of the tropical central
and western Pacific. Markets for specific ilems, such as live bait for Luna fishing, heve been
created in countries in which pole-and-line fisheries for tuna have been established, and yet
aquaculture has still proven difficult to develop to a commercial level; reasons for this are
given by Kearney and Rivkin (198I). Economic implications of developing aquaculture in the
Island states of the region were considered by the SPC's EighLh Regional Technical Meeting
on F isheries. This meeting concluded that veny few previous aquaculture projects in the
Cornmission's area were at all successful and recommended "that detaited economic surveys
should be carried out before any commercial scale aquaculture projects are initiated" and
pointed out ihat such "srrveys should include the economics of alternative use of both the
land to be developed and the investment capital" (Anon L975). Equally important is the need
to consider the implications to existing fisheries resources from the conversion of so called
"swamp land" for aquaculture purposes. Too often coastal manllrove or inter-tidal zones,
which are natural breeding, or nursery, areas for coastal fish species, are converted without
due consideration of the impact on existing fisheries. Therefore, while it would be foolish lo
disregard the potential of aquaculture for fisheries development in the central and weslern
tropical Pacific' I feel that in the short-term this potential is restricted and proposed
aquaculture pnojects should be given careful scrutiny.
2. Deepwater nearshore resources
At the periphery of the limited conLinental shelves of Pacific Islands, the reef slopes
harbour resources of deepwater sriapper$ (predominantly Pristipomoides spp. and Etelis spp.)
which have mly begun Lo be exploited since the exploratoiy -oik --rhe SPC in--TFF early
1970s (Crossland and Grandperrin 1980) and which offer exciting new potentials for fisheries
development. Catch rates, far in excess of those normally taken in shallow waLer handline
fisheries, have been achieved throughout the central and western tropical Pacific wilh gear
little more sophisticated Lhan that required in traditional fisheries. In rnany countries
commercialr exploitation of these resounces has proven viable using inexpensive hand-reels
and' to a lesser extent, small bottom longlines. While little is known of the magnitude of the
aveilable resource' or of the biology and behaviour of the species cornmonly exploited, the
s{rapper resources of the reef slope are thought to represent ate of the best potentials for
f isheries development in this region and one of the very few resources suitable for
exploitation by existing artisanal fishermen without enormous capiLal input. These deepwater
resources have the additional advantages of being predorninantly excellent quality food fish
and free from ciguatera poisoning. They therefore command high prices on most markets.
Resources of deep water shrimps (Heterocarpus spp.) and precious corals represent
other possible polentials' but the economic feasibility of exploiting these resources in most
Pacific lsland states is still dispuled.