Beyond boom, bust and ban: The Sandfish (Holothuria scabra) fishery in the Tigak Islands, Papua New Guinea

Cathy Hair; Simon Foale; Jeff Kinch; Luanah Yaman; Paul C Southgate

doi:10.1016/j.rsma.2016.02.001

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Beyond boom, bust and ban: The Sandfish (Holothuria scabra) fishery in the Tigak Islands, Papua New Guinea

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Beyond boom, bust and ban: The Sandfish (Holothuria scabra) fishery in the Tigak Islands, Papua New Guinea

Cathy Hair, Simon Foale, Jeff Kinch, Luanah Yaman and Paul C Southgate

Regional Studies in Marine Science, Vol.5, pp.69-79

2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsma.2016.02.001

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Abstract

Holothuria scabra

sea cucumber

beche-de-mer

overfishing

management

mariculture

Sea cucumber, processed into beche-de-mer (BDM), is one of the oldest commercial marine commodities in the Pacific Islands Region. Sea cucumber fisheries in the Pacific have historically followed boom and bust cycles. Papua New Guinea (PNG) was an important supplier of BDM to Asian markets until overfishing of sea cucumbers led to a moratorium being declared by the PNG National Fisheries Authority (NFA) in 2009. The Tigak Islands in New Ireland Province were the site of a targeted fishery for the high-value sea cucumber sandfish (Holothuria scabra) for a short period in the late 1980s before it was overfished. The history of sandfish exploitation in the Tigak Islands has been comparatively well documented, and it is described here using published articles, fisheries and export data, and contemporary interviews. Sea cucumber fisheries are very difficult to manage effectively to maintain sustainable yields. The PNG NFA is revising their National Beche-de-mer Management Plan to be implemented when the sea cucumber fishery reopens. Sandfish is regarded as a promising aquaculture candidate that may provide livelihood options for remote coastal communities in New Ireland Province and elsewhere in PNG. The next phase of the Tigak Islands' sandfish fishery has exciting potential for mariculture to be integrated into fisheries management strategies but its success relies on fishers adopting more sustainable harvesting practices, and BDM buyers promoting better quality processing.

Details

Title: Beyond boom, bust and ban: The Sandfish (Holothuria scabra) fishery in the Tigak Islands, Papua New Guinea
Authors: Cathy Hair (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering
Simon Foale (Author) - James Cook University
Jeff Kinch (Author) - National Fisheries Authority, Papua New Guinea
Luanah Yaman (Author) - National Fisheries Authority, Papua New Guinea
Paul C Southgate (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering
Publication details: Regional Studies in Marine Science, Vol.5, pp.69-79
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date published: 2016
DOI: 10.1016/j.rsma.2016.02.001
ISSN: 2352-4855; 2352-4855
Organisation Unit: School of Science and Engineering - Legacy; Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99450072102621
Output Type: Journal article
Research Statement: false

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Ecology; Marine & Freshwater Biology

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