Coastal FISHERIES DATA IN VANUATU Vanuatu Fisheries Department Coastal FISHERIES DATA IN VANUATU 1st Regional technical meeting on coastal fisheries. Nov. 2017 Jeremie Kaltavara – Vanuatu Fisheries Department

COASTAL FISHERIES IN VANUATU Director of Fisheries supported by +40 staffs 6 provincial fisheries development officers 1 main HQ in Port Vila and a sub-office in Luganville 3 main sectors; Commercial, Artisanal and Subsistence sectors RECENTLY (AFTER TC PAM 2015) SPC/KfW funded recovery project: monitoring of coastal habitat (reef, seagrass and mangroves), encouraged the increase production in coastal and aquaculture fishery (supply of solar freezers, VATUIKA FADs, Hartley boats, aquaculture farms and equipment and other related fishery equipment) Community based coastal resource management projects ongoing (VCAP, PACFISH, JICA-Grace of the sea project and others) Strengthening collaborations with other line government agencies, donor partners and regional organizations

METHODS USED FOR DATA COLLECTION Finfish - Fisheries logsheets and GRNs, TAILS at certain sites Invertebrates – Standardized reef habitat, seagrass/mangroves and BDM assessments, GRNs from trochus factory, coconut crab data from local licenced buyers Exports ( e.g.: certificates of local consumption, aquarium exports) Aquaculture sector - Farmers’ harvest sales reports and national hatchery data Coastal fisheries data being entered in TAILS as part of the SPC project in Vanuatu

WHAT ARE THE DATA ISSUES IN VANUATU? Geographical extent of islands and multiple landing sites. No centralized landing site/ fish markets Most dominant fishery is subsistence thus no obligation to provide data. But there have been sporadic data collection as results of various past projects (e.g.: SPC PROGFISH project, BDM and Trochus stock assessments. Artisanal data flow is discontinuous and irregular basis. The furthest from main VFD HQ, the scarcer the data. Data collection, focused mostly in deep bottom snapper and semi- pelagic species, and not on reef fish species. Reef fish historically reported in a total quantity as “mix reef fish”. Invertebrate fishery data lacking. Past data archives have been lost/misplaced Consistent market-based survey Consistent data collection by aquaculture/reef fishery in communities Database for reef fish and invertebrates Coastal MCS not frequent Funding to print fisheries logsheets for provinces

NEW INNOVATIONS IN use/TRIALLED & FUTURE PROSPECTS Standardized reef habitat and BDM assessment methods TAILS targeting deep bottom and semi-pelagic fisheries Marine monitoring toolkit planned to be utilize throughout the country Collection of catch data on numerous solar freezers and fish markets throughout Vanuatu Collection of data from small scale aquaculture farmers Draft regulation on reef fish size limits Streamline our fisherman association by utilizing existing provincial government layout. Proposed strategy in coastal fisheries (1st workshop undertaken with SPC and PACFISH project)

TANKIO TUMAS!