Glossary

200-nautical-miles: Distance to the coast delimiting the exclusive economic zone of each coastal country.
Algal crest: External zone of the bank reef, where the sea breaks and a pad of calcareous algae grows.
Alia catamaran: Model of catamaran developed by FAO on the basis of a Western Samoa dugout model.
Atoll: Annular coral reef enclosing a lagoon which communicates or not with the open sea by one or more passes.
Autotrophic: Ability of an organism to nourish itself by utilizing inorganic material from the substrate and atmospheric gases to develop. Green plants and certain microorganisms are autotrophic.
Benthic and demersal zones: Seabed environments, from intertidal and infratidal zones (less than 10 m depth) to a 500 m deep zone.
Biocenose: Balanced association of animals and plants in a biotope.
Biotope: Independent vital space of variable size (often small) characterized by a unique ecology and the presence of the physicochemical conditions necessary for survival of the species constituting the biocenose.
Blackbirders: Smugglers of illegal alien Melanesian workers at the end of the nineteenth century, bound especially for Australian plantations.
Burgau: Common name of tropical univalve mother-of-pearl shells; their scientific name is Turbo marmoratus.
Cast net: Wide cone-shaped net ballasted with lead and retained by a line moored at its center. The net is cast from the shore over the fish.
Catch per unit effort: Catch by weight or number: the yield is expressed in terms of the catch achieved with a line in one a day (day-line).
Condominium: Sovereignty exerted jointly by two or several states on the same country (France and United Kingdom for Vanuatu before 1980).
Copra: Dried coconut meat from which oil is extracted.
Coral reef: Calcareous formation produced by the activity of various living organisms.
CPUE: Catch per unit effort.
Deep longline: Horizontal fishing line fitted with hooks and lying on the sea bottom.
Deep-sea fisheries: Fishing at open sea.
Deep-sea fishes: The term "deep-sea fish" refers to bottom-dwelling fish found in the 80-500 m depth layer along the outer-reef slopes.
Deep-sea fishing: Fishing by sinking a vertical line equipped with one or more hooks to catch fish on the sea bottom when the boat is anchored.
Ecological conditions: Conditions of the environment within which a natural resource lives and develops (elevation, topography, soil type, bioclimate, etc.).
EDF (European Development Fund): The European Development Fund, an EEC body, funds economic development programmes in ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific) states.
EEZ: Exclusive economic zone.
El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO): This refers to a complex of climatic anomalies whereby warm surface waters mask the usual increase in cold-water nutrient-rich (upwellings) along the oceanic coasts of Peru and Ecuador. This phenomenon occurs around Christmas time (El Niño for the "Christ Child" in Spanish), with adverse effects on fishing activities, and is more severe some years and associated with catastrophic seasonal flooding along the normally arid coast. The expression El Niño now indicates these exceptional years (referred to as ENSO years, e.g.1982-1983) which occur at irregular intervals (2- to 10 years) and are accompanied by significant changes in the oceanic circulation, wind conditions throughout the tropical Pacific region, with a consequent impact on weather patterns around the world.
Euphotic: The euphotic zone is the ocean layer close to the surface that receives enough light for photosynthesis to occur.
Exclusive economic zone: Exclusive economic zone, or 200-nautical-mile zone, where coastal states have sovereign rights over natural resources and certain economic activities according the Convention of the Law of the Sea promulgated by a UN conference in 1982.
Extension agents: Administrative staff in charge of applying government economic development decisions.
FAD: Fish aggregating devices.
FFA: Forum Fisheries Agency.
Fish aggregating devices: Floating objects, such as rafts, that are anchored at sea to attract fish and monitored by fishermen.
Fisheries potential: Quantity of fish that can be tapped without exhausting the resource.
Fishing pressure: Quantity of fish captured per hectare.
Fishing reels: Hand operated boat-mounted reels that serve to wind up the fishing line.
Food self-sufficiency: Ability of a population to fulfil its food needs by its own production.
Food chain: Transfers of matter and energy in the form of food between living organisms within an environment.
Fork length measurement: Length of fish measured from the front tip of the head to the fork of the tail.
Forum Fisheries Agency: Subdivision of the South Pacific Forum dealing with administrative aspects of fishing activities.
Fringing reefs: Coral reefs along the shore of the mainland, including a flat reef.
Gill net: Square net which is set vertically in the water.
Gyre: Large wind-driven swirls of oceanic water masses affecting large zones in the Pacific.
Harvey single-hull: Type of boat designed by FAO for small-scale fisheries.
High (volcanic) island: Islands formed by geologically recent eruptions over "hotspots" on the ocean floor.
Ichthyosarcotoxism: Commonly referred to as ciguatera or "itch", which is poisoning caused by a toxic substance produced by a unicellular organism, Gambierdiscus toxicus, found in the coral reefs. It is ingested by coral-grazing fish and transmitted to consumers of these fish. This toxin is concentrated along the food chain.
Intertidal and infratidal zones: The intertidal zone, between low tide and high tide, is concerned with the tidal movements. The infratidal zone is below the low tide line.
Island arc: Arc of volcanic islands formed by the subduction of oceanic plates.
Island wake: Upwelling of deep waters due to the meeting of oceanic currents with an island.
Isobath: Lines on a map connecting points of equal water depth.
ITCZ: Intertropical convergence zone.
Joint fisheries ventures: Companies comprising several fishing companies with shared control.
Joint venture: A business enterprise in which a small number of separate and independent participants share control.
Kava: Kava (Piper methysticum) is a traditional drink with calming properties and which is consumed according to ritual.
La Niña: Unlike the El Niño phenomenon, La Niña (the "little girl" in Spanish) refers to the occurrence of unusually cold ocean water in the same geographical area, i.e. along the Pacifique coast of South America and in the equatorial Pacific zone. This phenomenon is due to strengthening of the trade winds that increase the flow of colder water along the coast.
Lagoon: Area of marine water between the shore of the mainland and the fringing coral reef.
Land availability: Area of land which could potentially be cultivated.
Longline: Fishing tackle involving a horizontal line fit with hooks and held by floats.
Longliner: Boats using a trawl line for tuna fishing.
Low-lying island: Volcanic island of low altitude due to erosion processes.
Management and conservation of resources: To preserve a natural resource from abuse and to enforce a usage regulation to ensure the natural renewal of this resource.
Mangrove: Plant formations characteristic of river banks and coastlines in tropical areas. They form impenetrable tidal marine forests which attach their stilted roots in calm bays where mud and silt settle.
Master fishermen: Professional fishing specialists who provide training for novice fishermen.
Mean annual increase: Annual increase of the population balanced over a 10-year period.
Melanesian Shell Products: Also called MSP, this mother-of-pearl processing company belonged to the Government of Vanuatu.
Mesoplankton: Planktonic organism greater than 100 microns in size.
Migratory pelagic species: Fish that move about considerably in deep water, far from the coast.
Minimum shell harvest size: Minimal catch size whereby only sexually mature individuals are fished, thus preserving the juveniles.
Monofilament line: Vertical fishing line with one filament.
Monoxyle dugout: Dugouts constructed from a single trunk, contrary to dugouts that are made from several elements like catamarans.
Mother-of-pearl pawns: Pieces cut from mother-of-pearl shells and used for manufacturing buttons.
MSP: Melanesian Shell Products.
Ni-Vanuatu: Name of inhabitants of Vanuatu.
Nycthemeral: Physiological unit of time, one 24 hour cycle comprising one day and one night.
Oceanic trench: Also called a deep-sea trench, which is a long and narrow depression along the ocean bottom that can exceed 1 000 m in depth (maximum oceanic depths from approximately 7 300 to more than 11 000 m [24 000 to 36 000 feet]).
Oligotrophic: Oligotrophic waters are nutrient poor.
Pacific Community: New denomination (since 1998) of the South Pacific Commission.
PC: Pacific Community.
Pelagic species: Fish living in deep water, relatively close to the ocean surface.
Pelagic zone: The open sea.
Phanerogam beds: Seagrass that grows on sandy beds of flat reefs.
Photosynthesis: Process whereby organic matter is produced from carbon dioxide in air fixed by chlorophyl of plants and some bacteria, using sunlight as energy source.
Price compensation mechanism: Economic process that involves setting the price of basic commodities independently of the laws of supply and demand.
Protein: 85 g of protein is obtained by consuming 1 kg of reef fish.
Protein ration: Minimum food intake to ensure public health.
Red snapper: Demersal fish that thrive over the external reef slope, between 50 and 600 m in depth.
Reef flat: Flat shallow water area, of coral or not, along the coastline that is a popular site for shore fishing and spear fishing.
Reef slope: External slope of fringing reefs or reef-barriers.
Sandalwood harvesters: Sandalwood smugglers. Name also given to the boats used for the collection and transport of this wood. This smuggling grew in this Pacific area from 1825 to1865, and led to the recruitment of native workers to cut and haul the sandalwood.
Scattered archipelagos: Groups of islands whose maritime area is 20- to 900- fold greater the land area.
SEC: South equatorial current.
SECC: South equatorial counter current.
South equatorial current: Oceanic current flowing from east to west at latitudes between 10^oS and 15^oS (SEC).
South Pacific Commission: Organization of representatives of the governments of 25 nations or territories, set up to advise those governments on economic, social and health matters affecting island territories in the South Pacific administered by them.
South Pacific Fishing Company: Also called SPFC, it is a Japanese fishing company which set up a joint venture with Vanuatu to establish a tuna base in the archipelago.
South Pacific Forum: Regional organization representing the economic and political interests of the states of South Pacific states.
Southern equatorial counter current: Oceanic current flowing from west to east at latitudes between 5^oS and 10^oS (SECC).
Spat: Swimming larvae of oysters (or mussels), before their fixation to a solid substrate.
Spat seeding on coral reefs: Juvenile mother-of-pearl shells deposited on reefs with the aim of restocking the natural environment.
SPC: South Pacific Commission.
SPCZ: South Pacific convergence zone.
SPFC: South Pacific Fishing Company.
Spur-rill zone: Area corresponding to the first decline of the reef slope.
Stabex funding: STABEX funds are granted by EU in ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific) states to subsidize local production and help maintain prices at world market levels.
Temperature and salinity gradients: Spatial variations in salinity and temperature in the ocean.
The intertropical convergence zone: Belt of converging trade winds near the Equator (about 5^oN) (ITCZ).
The South Pacific convergence zone: Belt of converging south Pacific trade winds extending from Papua New Guinea to French Polynesia along a NW-SE axis (SPCZ).
Thermocline: Oceanic water layer in which temperature decreases rapidly with increasing depth. This phenomenon is accompanied by an increase in the nitrate concentration (nitracline) and by an increase in salinity.
Trade wind: Easterly tropical wind (north-easterly or south-easterly).
Trochus: Trochus niloticus shells found in tropical waters and fished for their mother-of-pearl.
Trochus processing activities: Activity which involves cleaning and polishing trochus shells.
Trolling: Fishing by dragging a line fitted with one or more hooks behind the boat.
Unit of effort: Quantitatively minimal and standard fishing effort. In this study, the number of days-lines represented the unit of effort, i.e. the number of lines multiplied by the days spent fishing.
Upwelling: Upflow of deep colder and nutrient-richer water.
Vatu: Currency of Vanuatu.
Vegetable gardens: Garden with crops that are grown for self-consumption and not marketed.
Village household: Population unit considered for the census, represented by a family within a village.