sea shells sell

Fiji to see if sea shells sell

The New Zealand government is sponsoring a survey of seashell populations in Fiji waters to see if they are present in sufficient numbers, and of species interesting enough, to support an export industry.

Some academic research has been done in a variety of outlying areas of the Fiji archipelago over the last several years, and the new campaign will carry that further, with

commercial exploitation more firmly in mind.

To help the project which it will initially sponsor, the New Zealand government has given a specially-built 23-ft cabined Yamaha fibreglass boat and 40 hp Yamaha outboard motor to the Ministry of Cooperatives. It was built by the Yamaha sec tion of Burns Philp Motor Divi sion in Suva.

Fiji’s minister of state for

co-operatives, Mr Livai Nasili vata, accepted the boat on behalf of the government and named it ’’Nabulikula. ” The shell survey will be led by Mr Brian Parkinson, of the minis try. He hopes to determine the number of uncommon, rare and marketable shells available in Fiji, and to discover whether they are present in quantities sufficient to allow commercial exploitation. The intent of the project is to educate people in the need to conserve reef re sources.

The survey team, made up of four members, plus Mr Parkin son, will work in a wide variety of waters, and, using scuba gear, down to depths of 90 to 140 ft.