Image credit: Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC)
Review: SPC and Abdel Rahman El Gamal (Founder of the website)
The resources of green snail (Turbo marmoratus) in Vanuatu are fished by small-scale commercial fishing activities. The estimated households that are engaged in the collection green snails reach about 2500. The green snail resources have been harvested mainly for export purposes since the beginning of the 19th century. The relatively recent assessment surveys for the resource indicated that green snail stocks have been exploited to near depletion.
In order to conserve the green snail stocks in Vanuatu, several management protocols have been applied including setting a minimum legal harvesting size of 15 cm basal length (diameter), placing a no-fishing taboo or green snails for a period of time and re-seeding with hatchery-produced juveniles. The inserted photo shows juvenile green snails produced at the Vanuatu hatchery.
