Status of giant clam fishery and management: Vanuatu

Abstract

Vanuatu is an archipelago of 80 volcanic islands in the Western Pacific ocean with a population of 192,000, the majority of which are Melanesian. Approximately 79% of the population live in the rural areas, and depending on subsistence lifestyle of gardening, fishing and animal keeping. The islands are geologically young with narrow fringing reefs that support a limited marine and fisheries resources. These marine resources are important source of protein and a source of income from local sale of products such as fish, crabs, shellfish and lobsters. Trochus shell (T. niloticus); bech-de mer (Holothurians) and fish are an important source of income for the coastal people. The traditional practice of Customary Marine Tenure (CMT) system constitute the main resources management strategy for the marine resources throughout Vanuatu.