Research shows Pacific fishing catches under-reported
Updated
A new study from Canadian research organisation 'The Sea Around Us' has found fish catches from Pacific island nations are vastly under-reported.
The research covers half a century of fishing, from 1950 to 2004, in 20 island nations.
In the worst case in American Samoa, they found the real amount of fish and shellfish was 17 times higher than what was reported.
The director of the Fisheries Centre at Canada's University of British Columbia, Daniel Pauly, says many reef fishes are often not listed in the catch.
"Small invertebrates - not noble fish - the noble fish is the fish that you catch, and you report it, and the guys usually do that," he said.
"But reef leaning by women and children is usually what goes into the cooking pot.
"What it means is that the fish that is caught on reefs and the little invertebrates that are caught on reefs and go straight in the cooking pot are not dealt with."
