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Coastal
fishing is
carried out around the Tuamotu-Gambier archipelago
using a whole fleet of "poti marara",
which are motorised canoes, as well as a few bonito
boats (which are used around Kaukura, in particular).
Fishing of this kind occurs only around some of the
atolls, and is mostly an informal activity carried
out on boats with no official permits. The "poti
marara" is a traditional Polynesian boat 4 to 7
metres in length, which used to be made of wood and
equipped with an outboard motor, but is often made
of polyester nowadays, with an inboard diesel engine.
Their special shape was designed to enable them
to net flying fish, or "marara"
from the very high navigation post placed at the
front of the boat. Nowadays, the "poti marara"
is an all-purpose boat, since it is used for coastal
fishing of all kinds (harpooning "mahi mahi",
trawling, ground line fishing and even rod fishing).
The
very small catch is entirely absorbed by the home
market. Subsistence fishing and bartering are basic
to the atoll economy, and only a small proportion of
the fish caught are sold on regular markets (those
which take place in the towns of Papeete and Pirae.
The catch consists mainly of tuna, bonito, "coryphene"
(mahi
mahi)
and swordfish.
Lagoon
fishing
is practised extensively on the atolls. Like coastal
fishing, it provides the inhabitants with their own
vital food requirements, and fish constitute the
main commodity sold or bartered by the roadsides and
to small hotels and restaurants: micro-markets of
this kind have gradually developed on the most
densely populated atolls.
The
traditional craft of the fishermen working the
waters of the lagoons and coral reefs (where the
catch consists mainly of parrot-fish, surgeon-fish
and caranx (see video), involves the use of several
items of equipment, such as nets, lines and shotguns
(vidéo), as well as
cages and
traps of several kinds ,
patia.
Fish ponds are central to the methods used to fish
the waters of the atoll systems.
The
technique used at the fish ponds consists of
trapping the fish in latticed compartments. The fish
enter the compartments, and as they advance, these
become increasingly narrow, which prevents them from
escaping.
The
advantage of fish ponds is that they provide an
inexpensive means of keeping the fish alive once
they have been caught until they are transported by
plane or by sailing ship to Papeete as required. In
addition, this method has proved to be a highly
effective solution to the problems arising in the
atoll waters due to the strong sea currents to which
they are subject. The fish ponds are therefore
mostly located near the channels via which the
lagoons communicate with the open sea. The fish
ponds require the use of little equipment. They are
made either with stones in shallow waters or with a
system of netting, which is usually supported by
wooden stakes driven into the sandy sea floor.
471
of the 533 coastal concessions granted since 1970
for the purpose of constructing fish ponds have gone
to inhabitants of the Tuamotu islands. These figures
serve only as a rough indication, however, since a
fairly large number of permit holders do not
actually carry out their fish pond projects.
More
about fish ponds
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