Briefly

• Pacific Fishing Co Ltd, of Levuka, Fiji is enjoying a boom. In 1977 it collected a record $ll.l million from the sale of canned tuna. The com pany made $6 million from the export of the fish. The cur rent year should be even be tter as big orders have already been received fron Bumble Bee Sea Food, of the United States and British Columbia Packers, the largest importer and distributor of canned tuna in Canada. There has also been an initial order from John West Foods Ltd, of the UK, one of the best-known canned fish and food distribu tors in the world. As a side issue, the Fish Can Co, owned jointly by the Fijian Govern ment and Toyo Seikan Co, of Japan, has started to make cans for the cannery. It has contracted to produce 500 000 cases (48 cans to a case) in 1978. That should help to yield $l4 million to $l5 million for the cannery this year. • Tonga’s hopes to revive its lagging banana trade with New Zealand were jolted by the 1977 drought, which was followed by hurricanes in December and February. The country will be lucky if it can send away 100 000 cases by the end of 1978. At the end of 1977 exporters were hoping to send between 130 000 and 150 000 cases to New Zea land. Banana plantations in Vavau and Haapai were com pletely wiped out by the hur ricanes, while in Tongatapu and ’Eua about 55% of the crop was damaged by Hur ricane Ernie in February. An indication of the shortage of bananas was given when the Toa Moana picked up only 800 cases from ’Eua and Tongatapu on a recent trip a shortfall of 2 000 cases.