DEEP SEA FISHERIES DEVELOPMENT PROJECT IN TRUK

Transcription

1 REPORT ON THE SOUTH PACIFIC COMMISSION DEEP SEA FISHERIES DEVELOPMENT PROJECT IN TRUK (1 February 31 March 1980) by Pale Taumaia and James Crossland 709/80 South Pacific Commission Noumea, New Caledonia May 1980

2 CONTENTS Introduction 1 Background 1 Boat and equipment 1 Fishing operations 4 Training programme 4 Results 4 Discussion 6 Acknowledgements 10 Appendix 1: Basic equipment for deep bottom fishing 13 Appendix 2: Topics covered in the training programme 14

3 7 30 N Romalem Udot Moen Tol Dublon Fefan 7 00 N Fishing area 152 E Figure l: Chart of Truk showing areas fished

4 INTRODUCTION The objectives of the South Pacific Commission Deep Sea Fisheries Development Project in Truk were: to demonstrate deep bottom fishing to train local personnel to investigate the commercial viability of deep bottom fishing under local conditions. The project was based in Truk from 1 February to 31 March During this time 11 fishing trips were made landing 2,116 kg (4,660 lbs) of marketable fish. BACKGROUND Truk State 1 lies between 6058 and 7042 N and and E. It consists of the lagoon proper (Truk Lagoon) and five groups of outer islands, the Western Islands, Nomunwitos, Hall Islands, Upper Mortlocks and Lower Mortlocks. The lagoon itself has a radius of 48 Km. There are 10 volcanic islands clustered around the centre and many flat coral islands dotting the circumference. The maximum depth inside the lagoon is 70 m. The drop-off is steep and close to the barrier reef. Only 100 m. from the reef 200 m. deep bottom fishing grounds may be found. There is a big demand for fish in Truk. Most fish are caught by dynamiting and trolling, with some spear and net fishing but very little bottom fishing. There are more than 600 motorized boats but only one is known to be doing bottom fishing outside the reef. Truk has a fishermen s co-operative with very good ice facilities and a storage capacity of 100 tons. BOAT AND EQUIPMENT The project used the Marine Resources fibreglass boat Toku. The Toku is 10.8 m (35 feet) long and powered by a 210 h.p. Caterpillar diesel which gives a cruising speed of 9 knots. It has a spacious and confortable three berth cabin and cooking facilities. It is equipped with a Japan Marina model 707 NB echosounder 2, radio telephone, 550 m (300 fathoms) of anchor rope, a very large ice box and two line haulers. The Toku was fitted out with three Samoan type wooden handreels (Fig.2) each with m of 130 kg test monofilament nylon and a terminal rig as shown in Fig.3. When fishing in shallow water four plastic hand casting reels were used. These carried m of 45 kg test monofi1ament nylon. Details of the fishing equipment are Riven in Appendix 1. 1 See Figure 2 Property of the SPC

5 Fig. 2: Samoan type wooden handreel.

6 Kelux lockfast snap swivel size 4/0 Turimoto No. 29 longline wire cm Fenwick seven strand brass leader sleeves No. A7 20 cm cm cm 18 cm Mustad tuna circle hook No ST (Size 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7) 16 cm cm 1 kg or 2 kg lead weight Fig.3: Suitable terminal rig for deep bottom fishing

7 FISHING OPERATIONS The project operated mainly from a base at the island of Moen (Fig.1). Fishing trips were usually of two days duration. The Toku left Moen around 1500, taking about two hours to the fishing grounds and trolling for bait on the way. Suitable fishing spots were located using the echosounder. The boat was anchored just before dark usually in a depth of 190 m (100 fathoms). Fishing was done during a period of 2 3 hours before and after the current change. The current sets north when the tide is going out and south when the tide is coming in, except where the reef blocks its way and it may flow in other directions. When the current was too strong the crew rested because it was difficult to keep the lines on the bottom and also because few fish were caught at this time. During the second day of the trip about 1 2 hours were spent early in the morning and late in the evening trolling for more good bait before anchoring at another fishing ground. To reduce the effort of hauling from considerable depths, the anchor was recovered by towing it with the boat. A buoy was then shackled onto the rope, sliding along it to be trapped near the anchor. The floating line was then easily pulled aboard. Suitable anchoring equipment is shown in Fig. 4. Fishing was carried out to the south and east of the outer reef (Fig.1). The other parts could not be fished because the winds were from the north to north-east most of the time. Since the drop-off in Truk is steep a fishing spot was always selected opposite to the direction from which the wind was coming. The Project put the emphasis on the bait attraction fishing method. If fish stopped biting only the two bottom hooks were used for fishing and the head and skeleton of a bait fish were attached to the top hook. TRAINING PROGRAMME The project trained four Marine Resources personnel and 14 fishermen from the island of Romalem (Ulalu). The most capable fishermen, apart from Marine Resources personnel, were Mr. Kasdor Meneky and Mr Teriuo Unonno who were keen to learn new techniques and proved them selves to be good and hard working fishermen. A comprehensive programme of training, covering the proper handling of a fishing boat, care of equipment and fishing gear and the operation and maintenance of outboard motors was carried out. Full details are contained in Appendix 2. RESULTS A total of 11 fishing trips (Table 1) was made during the Proiect s stay, with an average catch of marketable fish of 193 kg per trip. In addition a considerable number of sharks were caught averaging 156 kg per trip. The average catch per reel per fishing hour was 5.9 kg (4.1 kg excluding sharks).

8 Galvanised wire for trapping buoy 30 cm 20 cm m of 8 12 mm polyprophylene rope 1.5 m of 10 mm chain Shackle Buoy used in recovering anchor 1.5 m of 10 mm chain 30 cm of 8 mm chain shackle Shackle Anchor made from 1 m of galvanized pipe and 6 m of 14 mm steel rod Prongs 40 cm Figure 4: Anchoring system suitable for deep bottom fishing. Rope diameter depends on size of boat. Ali shackles should be seized.

9 Catches comprised at least 42 species from 12 families of fishes (Table 2). Lutjanidae (snappers) made up 67.2 percent by weight of the catch (excluding sharks). The most important individual species were Lutjanus argentimaculatus (31.3 percent) and L. bohar (15.2 per cent). Carangidae (trevallies) mostly Caranx lugubris, were next in importance and made up 19.2 percent of the catch. Fishes of the genera Pristipomoides and Etelis, which have been the most important component of the catch in deep bottom fishing in other places the Project has visited, were not caught in significant quantities at Truk. Sale of the catches was handled through Marine Resources. Demand always exceeded supply. There was no problem with ciguatera fish poisoning. DISCUSSION The deep bottom catch rate in Truk (4.1 kg/reel/fishing hour) was a little below the average for places where this type of fishing has been tried (Table 3). However, it is considered that with greater experience on the part of local fishermen a higher catch rate could be achieved. There is quite a large area of fishing grounds around Truk with a good potential for bottom fishing. A large proportion of the Project's catch was made up of sharks. At the present time there is no market for them. Efforts should be made to utilize this resource, including the marketing of fins which are a highly priced commodity. Also, if shark numbers are reduced better catches of bottom fish can be expected. Based on the results obtained during the Project s stay the economics of small boat fishing in Truk are shown in Table 4. This shows that a profitable living could be made by an enterprising fisherman. Together with the strong demand for fresh fish, prospects for the development of a small fleet of deep bottom fishing boats are good. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The SPC Deep Sea Fisheries Development Project acknowledges the friendly and helpful assistance received from many Truk government officials. Thanks are due to Mr. Redley Killion, Director of Resources and Development Department; Mr. Michael White, Fisheries Specialist III; Mr Peter Sitan, Fisheries Specialist II and Mr Nelson Arnald, Fisheries Specialist I, for their personal interest in the project. Special thanks to Mr Ruphin Micky, Fisheries Technician; Mr Mike Urumai, Boat Operator and Foreman I; Mr Angkel Kupura, Diver II, Mr. Ramen Rokop, Fisheries Technician for their close and hard working relationship in fishing activities.

10 Table 1: Individual trip records. Trip Number Catch Sharks(kg) Total Fishing Engine Fuel in Bait Number of fish (kg) hours hours hours US gall. (kg) of crew TOTALS AVERAGES Average catch per reel per fishing hour (excluding sharks) = 4.1 kg Average catch per reel per fishing hour (including sharks) = 5.9 kg

11 Table 2: Catch composition while the Deep Sea Fisheries Development Project was in Truk ( not known, * less than 0.1%) A. Marketable catches. Scientific name English name Trukese name Numbers Percent by Weights Percent by numbers (kg) weight HOLOCENTRIDAE Adioryx spinifer squirrel fish SCORPAENIDAE Pontinus macrocephalis red scorpion fish SERRANIDAE Cephalopholis aurantius orange rock-cod * C.sexmaculatus grouper, rock-cod * Epinephelus chlorostigma brown-spotted grouper E. dietyohorus spotted-finned grouper E. flavocaeruleus E. fuscoguttatus flowery cod * E. hoedti blue grouper * E. maculatus E. merra honey-comb rock-cod E. morrhua brown-striped grouper Plectropomus leopardus leopard cod * Variola louti lunartail rock-cod CARANGIDAE Caranx lugubris black trevally beas Caranx sp. great trevally Seriola rivoliana deep water amberjack mesenap

12 Table 2: (Cont d) Scientific name English name Trukese name Numbers Percent by Weights Percent by numbers (kg) weight LUTJANIDAE Aphareus rutilans small tooth jobfish Aprion virescens green jobfish Etelis carbunculus short-tailed red snapper E. oculatus long-tailed red snapper mes Lutjanus bohar red seabass mew L. argentimaculatus mangrove jack awanuch L. erythropterus red snapper L. gibbus paddletail seaperch mesecha Paracaesio xanthurus southern fusilier * Pristipomoides auricilla gold-tailed jobfish P. filamentosus rosy jobfish R. flavipinnis yellow jobfish Tropidinius zonatus banded flower snapper pitur LETHRINIDAE Lethrinus kallopterus yellow-spotted emperor L. miniatus longnosed emperor L. reticulatus reticulated emperor L. variegatus variegated emperor L. xanthocheilus emperor PENTAPODIDAE Gnathodentex mossambicus large-eyed bream MULLIDAE Parupeneus chrysopleuron goatfish *

13 Table 2: (Cont d) Scientific name English name Trukese name Numbers Percent by Weights Percent by numbers (kg) weight GEMPYLIDAE Ruvettus pretiosus castor oil fish unidentified species TOTALS B. SHARKS ORECTOLOBIDAE Nebrius concolor sleeping shark SCYLIORHINIDAE Galeus eastmani CARCHARHINIDAE Carcharhinus melanopterus black tip shark Carcharhinus sp TOTALS

14 Table 3: Average catch in kg per reel per fishing hour in countries where the SPC Deep Sea Fisheries Development Project has operated. American Samoa 4.4 Kosrae 9.6 New Caledonia 7.6 Niue (1978) 2.8 Niue (1979) 7.0 Palau 3.3 Tanna (New Hebrides) 3.1 Tonga (1978) 3.6 Tonga (1979) 5.7 West New Britain (PNG) 4.9 Yap 6.9 Truk 4.1

15 Table 4: Economics of deep bottom fishing in Truk using an 8.6 m (28 ft) Alia aluminium catamaran bought new (fully equipped with 25 h.p. and 7 h.p. motors) for $US6,000, depreciated over five years and operated by an owner skipper. Earnings/year 4 fishing trips/week, 40 weeks/year, 160 trips/year; 12.3 kg/fishing hour (3 reels), 10 fishing hours/trip; 123 kg/trip, 19,680 kg/year, $1.65/kg Total earnings $US32,472 Expenses/year Depreciation of boat 1,200 Interest on loan Fuel, 6 gal./trip, $1.50/gal. 1,440 Oil and grease 180 Maintenance and repairs 400 Fishing gear replacement 300 Ice 480 Bait 1,600 Wages (2 crew, 20% catch value each) 12,990 Balance to owner/skipper Total expenses $US18,973 $US13, % reducing annually

16 Appendix 1 1. Western Samoan type wooden handreels Basic equipment for deep bottom fishing or 136 kg test monofilament line, 500 m per reel 3. Turimoto No.29 longline wire or equivalent (three stranded, three wires per strand, 120 kg test) 4. Mustad tuna circle hooks quality No.39960ST, sizes Fenwick sevenstrand brass leader sleeves No.A7, or equivalent 6. Berkley McMahon swivels size 4/0 or equivalent 7. Kelux stainless lockfast map swivels size 4/0 or equivalent 8. 1 kg and 2 kg weights m of polypropylene rope (rope diameter appropriate for size of boat) 10. Grapnel anchor and chain 11. Buoy for retrieving anchor 12. Pair of standard pliers 13. Pair of side-cutting pliers 14. Pair of crimping pliers cm bait knife

17 Appendix 2 Topics covered in the training programme 1. Proper handling of a fishing boat (a) Safety first (b) Cleanliness and tidiness, especially the engine (c) Suitable knots and splices for mooring and anchor ropes (d) Making a suitable grapnel : (e) Checking of equipment before departure to ensure that a sufficient supply of everything required 5s on board (f) Safety during fishing operations (g) Anchoring in order to fish at the right depth (h) Compass use, especially when it is dark (i) Marking of good fishing grounds by means of land marks or compass bearings (j) Simplest way of heaving the anchor (k) Boat to be left clean and tidy and moored properly in a safe place after each fishing trip 2. Proper handling of equipment and fishing gear (a) Safety first (b) Use of the Western Samoan type handreel (c) Use of the plastic handreel (d) Applicable knots and rigs for monofilament nylon, wire leaders and traces (e) A huge fish on the line (f) Operation of an echosounder (g) Equipment must be free from rust (h) Fishing gear must be clean and in tackle-balance (appropriate sizes of hooks, line, swivels together). 3. Proper handling of an outboard engine (a) Safety, always take spare spark plug, shear pin, cotter pin, split pin, etc. (b) Before starting: plug fuel hase properly open air vent squeeze fuel pump until it becomes hard che clt if in neut rai gear check if throttle in starting position choke (if engine is cold) until engine starts, then unchoke at once; if engine stops, start it again without choke or engine overflows.

18 This procedure must be followed or you will end up in disassembling engine parts which are perfectly all right. (c) It is important to know your engine fuel mixture. Obtain it from your local dealer or your engine manual service book. e.g. Tohatsu engine fuel mixture: one herring-can full; of outboard super oil to 5 gallons petrolt except for the first 10 gallons the oil is double. (d) During running hours always check if engine water pump functions. (e) Always use your fingers NOT A TOOL in putting on spark plugs. (f) Rinse engine both interior and exterior with fresh water after fishing trips. (g) Treatment for your engine when you are not going to use it for a long time. (h) Treatment for your engine when dropped into the sea.

19 REPORTS ON SPC BQTTOM FISHING PROJECTS Outer Reef Artisanal Fisheries project Hume, H. 1975: New Hebrides Hume, H. 1976: Cook Islands Hume, H. and Eginton, R. 1976: Western Samoa Eginton, R. and Mead, P : Tuvalu Eginton, R. and James, R.H. 1979: Solomon Islands Deep Sea Fisheries Development Project Fusimalohi, T. 1978: Niue (first visit) Mead, P. t978: American Samoa Fusimalohi, T. 1979: Tanna (New Hebrides) Mead, P. 1979: Tonga (first visit) Mead, P. and Crossland, J. 1979: Kosrae (TTPI) Mead, P. and Crossland, J. 1980: Yap (TTPI) Fusimalohi, T. and Grandperrin, R. 1980: New Caledonia Fusimalohi, T. and Crossland, J. 1980: West New Britain (PNG) Mead, P. 1980: Tonga.(second visit) Mead, P. 1980: Niue (second visit) Taumaia, P. and Crossland, J. 1980: Palau