Marine Resources
Tuesday 25th June 2013
MMR VISION
To work in partnership with communities,
businesses and other agencies to:
•
provide long-term benefits for the
people of the Cook Islands
• sustain and develop the use of marine
resources
Inshore Fisheries
& Aquaculture
Inshore & Aquaculture Division
• Improve income generating
opportunities for private sector
particularly in the Outer Islands through
increased technical and scientific
assistance
• Ensure sustainable fishing and
conservation practises resulting in long
term food security
Food security
Local catches – creel surveys
Inshore fisheries
• 300 – 500 mt/yr
• 1/3rd sold ($9/kg) 133t, 2/3rd
subsistence 267t
Nearshore and FAD (trolling/longline)
• 50 - 80t/yr
• 1/3rd sold ($8/kg), 2/3rd
subsistence
Freshwater
• Eels, shrimp, tilapia 5t
Domestic Long-liners
• Estimated at 120t
Inshore
Nearshore
Freshwater
5 mt
Domstic longliners
120 mt
80 mt
500 mt
Total fisheries = 705 mt/yr
Household 2006 – imported seafood
Mussels
9.9. mt
$70.0 K
Salmon Snapper
3.8 mt 3.3 mt
$33 K
$46 K
Total volume = 106 mt
Total value = $869 K
Tinned fish
89.5 mt
$720.0 K
Tinned fish sardines
Tinned fish mackerel
Tinned fish tuna
Other tinned fish
8,937
35,626
15,241
29,745
89,549
$53,839
$320,638
$106,687
$237,962
$719,126
Fish consumption per capita
High levels of fish consumption
• 219 kg/yr, Penrhyn, (Passfield
1997)
• 63 kg/yr, Cook Is, (Preston 2000)
• 47 kg/yr, Cook Is, (MMR 2000)
• 35 kg/yr, Cook Is, (SPC, 2008)
– 61 kg/yr rural, 25 kg/yr urban
WHO recommend 35 kg/yr/capita
• According to SPC (2008) the Cook
Islands is below the recommended
levels 25 kg/yr (urban)
• High levels of NCD’s, diabetes
World average 16.5 kg
Subsistence fishing
Mangaia – Subsistence fishing
• 92% engaged in fishing
• 309 fishers, 148 women, 161 men
• 1/3rd exclusive men finfish, 1/3rd exclusive
women invertebrates, 1/3rd both
Rarotonga - Subsistence fishing
• 44% households engaged
– Include sport fishers, motorized boats
• Half (155) = men, exclusive finfish
• Quarter (69) = women, exclusive invertebrate
Trends fishing
Coastal subsistence is declining
• 858t, $3.05 mill, late 80’s (Dalzell, 1996)
• 795t, $2 mill, 2000 (MMR 2001)
• 267t, $1.7 mill, mid 00’s (Gillett, 2009)
- Loss of seafood nutrition, loss of culture
Decline in seafood consumption on Rarotonga 1990’s onwards due to ciguatera poisoning
– 116 kg/yr, 1989, (MMR 2001)
– 99 kg/yr, 2001, (MMR 2001)
– 64 kg/yr, 2006, (Moore 2006)
Led to…
2000’s onwards – a switch to pelagic fish (domestic longline vessels)
- 40-50% tuna estimated to be supplied by domestic and foreign longline vessels
- 120-150t, whole fish, 2007 (MMR 2008)
Note Palmeston 18t, $12/kg, 2007
Ra’ui
Name: Edgewater Resort
Total Area:
Dates: Implemented: 2009
Lift Period(s):
Survey/Reports:
Current Status: Open
Rau’i
Other protected marine areas
• Takutea – Marine Sanctuary
• Penrhyn & Manihiki – giant clam export moratorium
• Manihiki – pearl shell reserve
• Pukapuka – traditional rau’i for land and sea (annual)
• Mauke – reef marine reserve
Proposed Rau’i regulations
Declaration
• Declared by Aronga Mana, after consultation
• Protocol - date, duration, area description, species, fishing practices etc
• MMR will register the rau’i (i.e. management plan)
Public awareness
• Signage and public awareness programs
Wardens
• Aronga Mana nominate Tiaki raui
• MMR train and equip (Tiaki rau’i)
• MMR compliance unit and Police will also monitor and survey
• On-spot fines possible, otherwise can elect judicial processes
Maintenance
• Sites for education, research, and trials
Potential developments
• Sea cucumber
– Assessments(printing)
– Lollyfish (Rori toto), Matu rori
– Rori Puakatoro & Rori matie
• Trochus
- Regionally recognised as the best managed
resources
• Clams for ornamental market
– AMRC
• Bonefish ecotourism
– Aitutaki Bone
Fish aggregating devices (FADs)
Coastal, FAD and game-fishing catches
Yellow-fin Tuna
Mangaia
CPUE (Kg/Hr)
Annual Catch (tonne)
Population
Catch per capita (tonnes)
4
7
573
7.4
Rarotonga Aitutaki
Rakahanga
6
14
22
40
25
50
13,097
2,035
77
3.0
7.3
392
Offshore fisheries
Offshore Division
Expanded income earning opportunities
from sustainably managed offshore
fisheries, through capacity building, and
infrastructure and market development
Regional Fisheries
Management Organizations
Fishing Effort
130E
140E
150E
160E
170E
180
170W
160W
150W
140W
130W
130E
140E
150E
160E
170E
180
170W
160W
150W
140W
130W
10N
10N
20N
20N
30N
30N
120E
10S
10S
0
0
30S
30S
20S
20S
Catch (t)
120E
3 to 5 YEAR TARGETS
TARGETS
• $5-7 Mill/yr
• Diversify
economy
• 20 t/wk fish
export
• Leveraged
benefits
• Onshore
• Shipping
• Fuel
SKIPJACK
BIG EYE
ALBACORE
YELLOW-FIN (&ALB)
SWORDFISH
23
Albacore Long-line Fishery
Penrhyn
1,000 km
Albacore Tuna
Rarotonga
Big-eye Tuna Long-line Fishery (2012)
Penrhyn
1,000 km
Rarotonga
Big-eye Tuna
Skipjack Tuna
Purse Seine Fishery
Penrhyn
1,000 km
Rarotonga
Skipjack Tuna
Legislative Framework
Marine Resources Act 2005
 Designated Fisheries – Section 5
 Fisheries Management Plan
 Regulations
Regulations:
 Marine Resources Longline Fishery Regulations 2012
 50 vessel Limit (cap)
 Marine Resources Purse Seine Fishery Regulations 2013
 1250 days (30,000mt)
Pearl Support
Division
Vision
Improve quality and quantity of
production through:
• better farm husbandry systems
• improved governance
• continued research and development,
and environmental monitoring
programs
Objectives
1. Support to key stakeholders through
enhanced governance and communication.
2. Strengthen capacity to increase pearl quality
3. Monitor lagoon health and changing
environmental conditions,
4. Identify other sustainable economic
opportunities of the pa enua pae Tokerau
Causes of the problem
Market forces
•
•
•
•
•
Quality
Depressed world pearl prices
High costs of operating on Manihiki
Depopulation
Labour forces
Bacterial Disease
diseased
pearl oyster
Healthy
pearl oyster
Ratio of Live Shellfish vs Dead Shellfish at Depth (meters)
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
6
18
Depth (m)
20
Alive
22
24
26
30
Dead
Governance
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Island Council
Manihiki Pearl Farmers Association
Manihiki Pearl Farmers
Fishing Association
Government
Ministries
Communities
Thank You