Marine fishery resources of the Pacific Islands

Abstract

This document updates and expands an earlier review by FAO of the marine fishery resources of the Pacific Islands. The Pacific Islands region consists of 14 independent countries and 8 territories located in the western and central Pacific Ocean. The region’s fishery resources can be broadly split into two main categories: oceanic (offshore) and coastal (inshore). Oceanic or offshore resources include tunas, billfish and allied species. They are characterized by an open-water pelagic habitat and potentially extensive individual movements. Coastal or inshore resources include a wide range of finfish and invertebrates. They are characterized by their shallow-water habitats or demersal life-styles and restriction of individual movements to coastal areas. This paper discusses these two resource categories. Information is provided on the major types of fishing, the important species, the status of those resources and the fisheries management that occurs.