Assessing sandfish population stocks within the south coast of Manus, and a summary report of sandfish connectivity field research

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Coastal fisheries

Despite the importance of the sea cucumber trade in terms of foreign revenue generation for PNG and cash income for local fishers, stock collapse nationally led to a nationwide closure coming into force from 2009. There is now increasing interest in examining the role of locally based management strategies in sustaining sea cucumber populations. The present work was undertaken in support of the decentralisation of sea cucumber fisheries within Papua New Guinea, and encompassed two major goals: a rigorous stock assessment of the density and status of a sea cucumber population, and an understanding of larval dispersal between and connectivity among populations.