A traditional Cook Islands chief has spoken out over a planned giant clam harvest in the southern uninhabited island of Manuae.
A Giant Clam in the Cook Islands Photo: Georgia Langdon
The harvest, which has been sanctioned by the Aitutaki Island council, which is responsible for managing Manuae Island, will result in an estimated 8000 giant clams being culled.
The Ministry of Marine Resources has warned that giant clam stocks, known locally as paua, will never recover from this if it goes ahead.
Traditional chief Turi Mataiapo Maria Henderson said she was horrified that the harvest was even being contemplated given that the Manuae Landowners Incorporation declared Manuae Island a reserve and placed a traditional ban, a ra'ui, on taking indiscriminate amounts of seafood from the lagoon.
She said the massive cull must be stopped especially since Manuae Island marine life falls under the Cook Islands' Marae Moana Marine Park legislation passed last year.
