"The fishing industry benefits the people and economies of the Pacific in various ways but the full value of these benefits is not reflected in the region's statistics. Records may be maintained but they are not complete, or accurate, or comparable. The research summarized in this report reaffirms the importance of this sector to the economies and societies of the Pacific island countries." --Publisher.
Fish, fishing, and fisheries--the various products, the trade, and the industry--all benefit the people and economies of the Pacific in a variety of ways, but the full value of these benefits is not reflected in the region's statistics. The research summarized in this report reaffirms the importance of this sector to the economies and societies of the Pacific island countries.
The fishing industry benefits the people and economies of the Pacific in various ways but the full value of these benefits is not reflected in the region's statistics. Records may be maintained but they are not complete, or accurate, or comparable. The research summarized in this report reaffirms the importance of this sector to the economies and societies of the Pacific island countries. The research reveals that the full value of fisheries is likely to have eluded statisticians, and therefore fisheries authorities, government decision makers, and donors. But its value has never escaped the fisher, fish trader, and fish processor. The difference in appreciation between public and private individuals must raise the question of whether fisheries are receiving adequate attention from the public sector---including the necessary management and protection, appropriate research, development, extension and training, and sufficient investment.
"Based on an extensive study of six Pacific island states, 'Capturing Wealth from Tuna' maps out the aspirations and limitations of six Pacific island countries and proposes strategies for capturing more wealth from this resource in a sustainable and socially equitable manner"--Provided by publisher.
'The litany of world fishery failures shows that reform of fisheries governance and institutions is essential. The valuable insights and applications in this book will be enormously useful for fishery regulators as they try to sustainably and profitably manage fish stocks, especially highly migratory species such as tuna.'- Quentin Grafton, Australian National UniversityElizabeth H. Petersen argues that economists and other social scientists are increasingly focusing their attention towards institutions (defined as humanly-devised rules) as critical determinants of economic, social and politic.
The World Bank's 11 Pacific Island member countries are a diverse group in terms of economic and social conditions. Five are least developed countries, with annual per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as low as US$ 700, while in some of the territories average incomes are comparable to those in wealthy industrialized countries. Population densities and growth rates, land areas and the level of urbanization all display similarly wide ranges. There is a great diversity of cultures and languages. What they have in common is that all are islands surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, with jurisdiction over areas that are many times (in some cases thousands of times) their land area. All derive significant economic and social benefits from their marine resources, with many coastal communities depending on them for their livelihoods. Several have large and important freshwater fisheries. All identify their living aquatic resources (for fisheries, aquaculture and non-extractive uses mainly related to tourism) as a major opportunity for economic growth and development. In some cases, they represent one of the only opportunities. Reviews of the importance of fish as a source of food for Pacific Island populations have found that annual per capita consumption of fishery products in all cases exceeds the global average of 16.5 kg. In several small island countries, where opportunities to produce other food are very limited, fish consumption is among the highest in the world. Fishing also plays an important cultural role for men and women in many of the region's coastal communities.
