@article{fdi:010037737,
  title = {{T}he giant clam {T}ridacna maxima communities of three {F}rench {P}olynesia islands: comparison of their population sizes and structures at early stages of their exploitation},
  author = {{G}ilbert, {A}ntoine and {A}ndr{\'e}fou{\¨e}t, {S}erge and {Y}an, {L}. and {R}emoissenet, {G}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{S}everal lagoons of the atolls of {T}uamotu {A}rchipelago and volcanic islands of the {A}ustrales {A}rchipelago ({F}rench {P}olynesia) are characterized by enormous populations of the clam {T}ri-dacna maxima, a species considered as endangered in many locations worldwide. {E}ven if this resource can still be considered as virtually intact, the growing harvesting pressure to feed {T}ahiti's market (up to 50 t of wet matter y(-1)), combined with the relatively small size of these lagoons, will soon call for management action to sustain a fishery that currently targets a large, virtually pristine stock. {H}ence, we present {T} maxima population sizes and structures for two atolls ({F}angatau and {T}atakoto) and one island ({T}ubuai), where high clam densities and population sizes have promoted a small-scale, but growing, commercial fishery since the late 1990s. {W}e followed an earlier pilot study, in which a combination of remote sensing and in situ data provided an estimate of the {F}angatau clam population size (23.6 +/- 5.3 million clams, mean 95% confidence interval, for 4.05 km(2) of mapped lagoon). {W}e obtain 88.3 +/- 10.5 and 47.5 +/- 5.2 million clams for {T}atakoto (mapped area of 11.46 km(2)) and {T}ubuai (mapped area of 16.3 km(2)), respectively. {A}ccounting for contrasted length frequency distribution curves and one common size-weight relationship, the total biomasses are 1485 +/- 177 t, 1162 +/- 272 t, and 2173 +/- 232 t of commercial flesh for {T}atakoto, {F}angatau, and {T}ubuai, respectively. {I}n addition, given the legal restriction on collecting clams smaller than 12 cm, the legally harvestable biomasses are 958 +/- 114 t, 1038 +/- 247 t, and 1971 +/- 210 t of flesh for {T}atakoto, {F}angatau, and {T}ubuai, respectively. {T}he ratio between legal and total stock is much smaller for {T}atakoto because this atoll is dominated by small clams, unlike the other two sites. {T}he differences in population size and structure are discussed in terms of natural environment (habitats, degree of aperture to the ocean, temperature variations), providing insights on the natural variability between two similar systems ({T}atakoto and {F}angatau), and between different systems (the two atolls and the volcanic island of {T}ubuai), suggesting that future management schemes will have to be optimized locally.},
  keywords = {coral reef ; fishery ; {F}rench {P}olynesia ; giant clam ; marine resource management ; remote sensing},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{I}ces {J}ournal of {M}arine {S}cience},
  volume = {63},
  numero = {9},
  pages = {1573--1589},
  ISSN = {1054-3139},
  year = {2006},
  DOI = {10.1016/j.icesjms.2006.07.001},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010037737},
}