Tropical Aquaculture Research

18/06/2026

Over 11,000 oysters were bought from the communities of Bua who farmed them for Civa Fiji Pearls. As one follower commented: 'This is a testament to the power of collaboration in delivering results. ‘

Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research University of the Sunshine Coast Civa Fiji Pearls Ministry of Fisheries, Fiji

Last load!

That is it for fall 2026 spat harvest. 11000+ oysters bought from the communities of Bua who farmed them for us. A big thank you to the villages of Sawani, Nasavu and Nasawana. A big thank you also to Ministry of Fisheries, Fiji for their constant support for aquaculture developmemt in the rural communities.

Lets do this again!

16/06/2026

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries - Samoa recently invited practising local crafts people to attend training on new shell craft machines that help to protect artisans from airborne shell dust, and also enhance their handicrafts capabilities.

Beautiful, locally-made shell handicrafts and jewellery are sought after by tourists visiting Samoa, and provide positive livelihood opportunities for Samoan families.

The machines, presented to the Ministry as part of the livelihoods project, operate with water, offering a healthy environment for working with shell.

Shell dust is a known health hazard, and as such should be avoided by using water or oil when cutting, grinding, sanding, drilling, carving and engraving.

Not only are the new machines safer, they are faster and more thorough than the machines currently in use.

This course - conducted by UniSC TAR jewellery design and handicraft skills trainer, Marie Erl - taught health and safety practices, workshop management, machine use and maintenance.

Marie also introduced a range of knotting and braiding techniques for neckpieces and bracelets, and taught participants how to professionally assemble earrings.

This UniSC TAR livelihoods research is funded by .

Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research

04/06/2026

In exciting news from , a by-product from the harvest of mabé pearls, the viscera or oyster tissue, is showing promise as a horticultural .

Once separated from the valuable adductor muscle, remaining viscera are composed of mantle tissue, gills, g***d and digestive tissues which are usually discarded following harvest.

Recent research at the University of the South Pacific ( ) tested the potential of dried pulverised viscera from 𝘗𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘯 as a novel horticultural fertiliser.

Results showed that even at low levels (0.3% of potting mix w/w) dried pearl oyster viscera enhanced growth of vegetables compared to controls, with higher inclusion levels (to 3%) supporting even further improvement.

This research, which was supported by the -funded livelihoods project, demonstrates the further utility of pearl oyster meat, as well as shells, and provides a new perspective on potential contributions of cultured pearl oysters to food systems in the Pacific.

Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research The University of the South Pacific

02/06/2026

𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐅𝐞á𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐚, 𝐦𝐚𝐛é 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫, 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐚 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

Faiana Feáomoeata recently became the new President of the Pearl Farmers Association, a title that she is very proud to hold.

Faiana says the Association provides a vital place for local farmers to learn from each other, share ideas, and grow stronger in their business endeavours. She loves working with fellow Association members, the Ministry of Fisheries - Tonga , and / project members.

"I hope that during my time as President, I can influence local farmers to come together and be responsible in running the Vava’u Pearl Center with the highest quality products. I also hope to expose more of our beautiful, local-made products nationally and internationally to help our farmers and artisans improve their livelihoods."

Faiana started her pearl farm in 2017. Fast forward to 2026, and she is also a mabé pearl artisan and markets her own products.

Faiana is a proud mother of two, who says she has achieved a significant improvement in standard of living since becoming a mabé pearl farmer. She says that her business success also supports the local community, as she employs two young people at her farm.

Her success and encouragement have motivated several people on her island to join pearl farming. Prior to 2017, there was just one mabé pearl farm on her island, and now there are seven.

“Pearl farming really helps my community financially.” Faiana Fukofuka

According to Faiana, the future of mabé pearl farming and mabé pearl and pearl shell handicrafts looks bright, especially due to the newly-renovated store, handicrafts production workshop and mabé pearl retail centre which will help to ensure the quality of their products and better focus product marketing.

Consistent supply is also something that can now be offered since local mabé pearl farms have their own spat collector lines enabling them to sustain oyster stock, products and sales.

Faiana would like to thank Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research ( ), University of the Sunshine Coast , World Bank Pacific, and the Ministry of Fisheries - Tonga for their ongoing support for pearl farmers.

25/05/2026

Congratulations to University of the South Pacific ( ) PhD candidate, Kelly Thomas Brown, on submission of his PhD thesis ‘𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡-𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐚 𝐜𝐮𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫, 𝑯𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒂 (𝑴𝒆𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒚𝒍𝒂) 𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒃𝒓𝒂’.

Based on four inter-related genomic studies, Kelly’s research addressed critical knowledge gaps in sandfish population genetic structure, connectivity, taxonomy, and hatchery management, to help inform sustainable fishery management and effective conservation of this species.

Kelly was supervised by researchers, Dr Monal Lal and Prof Paul Southgate, and researcher, Dr Brian Stockwell.

Kelly’s research was supported by an John Allwright Fellowship ( ) Returnee Award and broader ACIAR research into increasing technical skills and supporting community-based sea cucumber production in the region. It is one of several exchange arrangements facilitating collaborative research and capacity building in the Pacific.

Publications links below:

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0274245

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2023.740048

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-025-02421-8

https://doi.org/10.1111/age.13116

Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research The University of the South Pacific University of the Sunshine Coast

21/05/2026

Another milestone for (𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘢 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘣𝘳𝘢) capacity building in !

researcher, JayR Gorospe, recently visited Mauritius to share practical hapa net nursery rearing techniques for sandfish juveniles (also known as sea cucumbers) with the staff at the Albion Fisheries Research Centre ( ).

The activity focused on monitoring growth performance and survival of juveniles reared in hapas, as well as best practices for transferring sea cucumber juveniles into pond sediments for further grow-out. Captions explaining this activity in further detail are provided alongside each image.

This project is a collaboration between University of the Sunshine Coast ( ) and the Ministry of Agro-Industry, Food Security, Blue Economy and Fisheries, Mauritius.

University of the Sunshine Coast Ministry of Blue Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping

19/05/2026

As part of -funded pearl livelihoods research in Vietnam, undergraduate student, Ms Nguyen Thi Thuy Giang, from Nha Trang University ( ) will soon complete her BSc graduation project (chuyên đề tốt nghiệp) on hatchery culture of the winged pearl oyster (𝘗𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘯).

This work-integrated learning program has enabled Ms Giang to receive direct mentoring from researchers and colleagues at the Central Research Centre of the Vietnam Academy of Fishery Sciences ( ) on aquaculture hatchery techniques.

This initiative strengthens in-country technical capacity and prepares the next generation of aquaculture professionals to support the sector’s growth.

Ms Giang is part of the third cohort of undergraduate students to complete their BSc graduation project within the ACIAR project, ‘𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐦 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐛é 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥-𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐕𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐧𝐚𝐦’.

Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research University of the Sunshine Coast Nha Trang University

18/05/2026

The Ministry of Fisheries, Fiji’s Pearl Team recently completed a week-long deployment in Nasau Village, Navakasiga, Bua where they worked closely with villagers and youth groups to strengthen pearl farming efforts and share sustainable farming techniques💙
Full story below 👇

Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research University of the Sunshine Coast

15/05/2026

Two recent publications in the latest issue of the Journal of Shellfish Research have highlighted some of the important research activities of .

The first, ‘𝐂𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐛é 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫-𝐨𝐟-𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐚’, led by Dr Thane Militz, reports on cruise ship tourist preferences for mabé pearl jewellery and mother-of-pearl shellcraft items in Vava’u, Tonga.

Study findings will inform future product design and handicraft skills training to better target the important cruise-ship market.

The second publication, ‘𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐚 𝐜𝐮𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 (𝑯𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒂 𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒃𝒓𝒂) 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬’, led by Dr Jay R Gorospe, provides a comprehensive review of recent progress in sea cucumber (sandfish) culture in the Philippines, with an overview of technical and genetic research.

The paper provides a reference point for future development of this sector in the Philippines, and identifies key bottlenecks and promising avenues for future research.

Both publications can be downloaded at: 𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐞 𝟒𝟓 𝐈𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞 𝟏 | 𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 ( Link: https://bioone.org/journals/journal-of-shellfish-research/volume-45/issue-1).

Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research University of the Sunshine Coast Ministry of Fisheries - Tonga

12/05/2026

researchers recently visited Vava'u in to partner with Ministry of Fisheries - Tonga in presenting training in enterprise development and marketing to local mabé pearl farmers and artisans.

The visit provided our researchers with the opportunity to meet the new President of the Vava'u Pearl Farmers Association, Faiana Fukofuka, and to inspect recently-deployed spat collectors at Neiafu.

Our team also worked with Tonga Fisheries and the Vava’u Pearl Farmers Association on plans for future research and training activities.

In further good news, the new local Pearl Centre has been completed and discussions with Fisheries and the Association finalised details for operational fit-out of this facility. The Centre will function as the main retail centre for locally-made mabé pearl products and will be ready in time for the new tourist season, beginning July.

These activities are supported by the ACIAR-funded, UniSC TAR-coordinated pearl livelihoods project.

Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research University of the Sunshine Coast