Serge Andréfouët, Yoann Thomas, Cedrik Lo, Amount and type of derelict
gear from the declining black pearl oyster aquaculture in Ahe atoll
lagoon, French Polynesia, Marine Pollution Bulletin, Volume 83, Issue 1,
15 June 2014, Pages 224-230, ISSN 0025-326X,
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.03.048.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X1400191X)
Abstract: 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.
Keywords: Aquaculture; Marine debris; Pearl farm derelict gear; Atoll