Amount and type of derelict gear from the declining black pearl oyster aquaculture in Ahe atoll lagoon, French Polynesia.
Pearl oyster aquaculture is a major activity in French Polynesia atoll lagoons. After the economic decline that characterized the last decade, concerns recently rose about discarded installations and materials that supported aquaculture practices and by facilities abandoned after they had to close their activities. In May 2013, a first inventory of the type and amount of pearl farms derelict gear (PFDG) was achieved on 47 sites in Ahe lagoon. Surveys were conducted within and outside the boundaries of aquaculture concessions. Twenty types of PFDG littered the lagoon floor and the water column. The most impacted areas were near abandoned grafting houses with up to nine types of PFDG. Forty-five percent of the sites were impacted, including outside concessions. While management authorities are fully aware of the problem, this first assessment is a wake-up call to stimulate the cleaning of lagoons, enhance awareness among farmers, and identify potential ecological consequences on lagoon ecosystems.
IRD, UR 227 CoRéUs, LABEX CORAIL, BP A5, 98848 Nouméa cedex, New Caledonia. Electronic address: serge.andrefouet@ird.fr.
Serge
S
Andréfouët
IRD, UR 227 CoRéUs, LABEX CORAIL, BP A5, 98848 Nouméa cedex, New Caledonia.
Yoann
Y
Thomas
Direction des Ressources Marines et Minières, Papeete, BP 20 Papeete 98713, Tahiti, French Polynesia.
Cedrik
C
Lo
D000818:Animals; D017756:Aquaculture; D007220:Industrial Waste / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D049911:Pinctada; D011114:Polynesia; D014866:Waste Products / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
D007220:Industrial Waste; D014866:Waste Products
Aquaculture; Atoll; Marine debris; Pearl farm derelict gear