Subsistence Economic Activities and Prospects for Clam Farming in Ono-i-Lau, Fiji: Socio-economic Factors

Local interest in and the potential contribution of giant clam culture to village economy in Ono-i-Lau, Fiji, is investigated. While villagers are interested in the possibility of giant clam farming their main interest arises from the possibility that this will add to their cash income, They are particular1y on the lookout for such possibilities because the main source of their cash income now (apart from remittances) is copra. Copra prices are unstable and have fallen. As clam stocks in the wild are still sufficient for local consumption, villagers are not interested in farming clams for subsistence purposes. The isolation of the Ono-i-Lau archipelago may make the commercial farming of clams there uneconomic. Also, if the objective of the project is to increase village income, clam farming might be less effective than alternative fishing projects