An Evaluation of Giant-Clam Farming in Solomon Islands: a Bioeconomic Analysis of 'Tridacna crocea' and 'T. derasa'

Abstract

Giant clams ('Tridacnidae') offer small holders (village farmers) throughout the Indo- Pacific good prospects for commercial culture to satisfy their increasing dependence on the cash economy. Giant-clam farming is e merging as a village-based export industry in Solomon Islands as a result of an extensive program of trials run by the International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM) and funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and other donors. ICLARM believes that funding should continue until a thorough assessment of the economic viability of the emerging industry is complete or until the industry is fully commercialised. As a precursor to future funding, however, there is significant need for a comprehensive economic evaluation of research and development activities. This thesis goes some way to achieving this goal. In this thesis, a conceptual model of the evaluation problem is developed, with emphasis on the potential supply of cultured giant clams from a village farm. A bioeconomic model is designed, calibrated and implemented. The biophysical submodel describes the average growth of an individual giant clam and survival within the population. The biophysical submodel is used by the economic submodel, which describes the costs and revenues associated with farming a giant-clam population from planting through to harvest, to estimate profitability of the farming system.