Chapter I Intro & Objectives - SPREP

PHOENIX ISLANDS PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENT PLAN
Chapter III. Background, 5. Fisheries Resources
Draft 1 March 2007
Riba Common bristle toothed tang
Karon Humphead wrasse
Rereba Trevally
Mako Surgeon
Rabono Eel
Ikamawa Parrotfish
Kuau Groupers
Bwawe Redtail (blacktail) snappers
Ikanibong Paddletail snapper
Tioti et al (2001) noted that 43 cases of ciguatera had been reported on Orona between March
and May 2001 by Kakai Scheme workers. Tioti et al (2001) considered this number was
low.
During initial implementation of the Kakai Scheme on Orona, 20 workers became sick with
fish poisoning (PIKS Project Manager 2002). Fish from the ocean side were the cause. After
that, fish from the lagoon side were caught and consumed.
The PIKS Project Manager (2002) noted that consumption for living on Orona by Kakai
Scheme workers would rapidly exhaust marine resources.
Timeon (2001) reported that the sea cucumber resources on Orona were too small to support
long term harvest.
RAWAKI (PHOENIX)
Fish were plentiful on Rawaki (Phoenix) (Hydrographic Office 1940). As far as known,
these were not poisonous.
In 1951, field studies were completed to examine fish poisoning in the Phoenix Islands
(Halstead and Bunker 1954). Fish collections were made on Abariringa (Canton), Enderbury,
Orona (Hull), Rawaki (Phoenix), and Manra (Sydney). A total of 93 species were tested.
Toxicity was indicated for 27 species, or 29 percent. There was evidence that species may be
poisonous at one site, but not in another.
D. INSHORE FISHERIES
Based on the 1939 exchange of notes between the U.S. and Britain, U.S. fishers believed that
they had the same fishing rights as British nationals in the Line and Phoenix Islands (Teiwaki
1988). As a result, the 1946 Fisheries Ordinance was amended in 1947 to accommodate U.S.
interests.
In 1949, there was an agreement between the U.S. and Britain that their representatives on
Abariringa (Canton) would jointly administer fishing and related activities of the Phoenix and
Line Islands (Teiwaki 1988). There was mistrust on both sides, and the result was inefficient
administration of the fishery.
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