Infectious Outbreak Costs Millions to Manihiki Pearl Farms
By Sandrine, Monday 26 March 2001 at 17:23 :: Pearl Farming Around the World
The disease that struck young pearl oysters in the farms of Manihiki, in the Cook Islands, in 2000 is expected to cause an economic loss estimated at USD 34 million over the next five years.
According to Ben Ponia, aquaculture specialist at the Secretariat of the Pacific Community in Nouméa, it will take about five years for production to return to its usual level.
Mr. Ponia has proposed the implementation of a grid system in the Manihiki lagoon to ensure optimal regulation and strict monitoring of the farms. This system would make it possible to raise production capacity to four million pearls, a figure well above the current level.