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Commercial sponge survey in Kiribati and sponge farming development in the South Pacific

Year of publication 1995

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages p.21

Author Croft, R.A.

Product type Project

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) A new aquaculture industry, culturing commercial bath sponges, is getting underway in Pohnpei State, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). Several areas outside the FSM have expressed an interest in this activity. The author was contacted quite some time ago about undertaking a survey for wild commercial sponge stocks in Kiribati. Due to a number of delays, the survey was not undertaken until late 1995. The author arrived on Tarawa, the capital of Kiribati, on September 18, 1995, and spent the next five weeks surveying Tarawa atoll and three other, near-by atolls. During all of the survey work the author was accompanied by several employees of the Kiribati Department of Fisheries. While a number of non-commercial sponges were observed in all of the lagoons surveyed, only one atoll had some sponges which might have some commercial value. It must be noted here that the author was only able to survey a total of four atolls in Kiribati, a country comprised of more than 30 atolls. While the four atolls surveyed were all near Tarawa there are other atolls a great distance away that may be very different from those observed. The findings at the surveyed atolls in no way indicates what may or may not be found within other atolls in Kiribati. At this point in time it will be up to the Kiribati government to continue the survey work. As noted above, several Fisheries employees assisted the author with all survey work, and they were to observe, first hand, where to look, and what to look for. They were also shown how to clean any sponges collected. The FAO South Pacific Aquaculture Development Project - Phase II (SPADP) funding this survey work, agreed to support one Fisheries employee travelling to Pohnpei to observe the work being undertaken there. While in Pohnpei he observed wild sponges and how to collect them. He also observed several established commercial sponge farms and he was able to participate with sponge planting activities.

Language English

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