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The purpose of this survey is to assist the Fisheries Department in gathering data for the stock assessment program so management strategies can be formulated for the long term. This stock assessment survey was year two of a three-year program. The survey encompassed the Torba Province, which is the northern most province of the Vanuatu group and is made up of the Banks and Torres group of islands. The species surveyed were beche-de-mer, rock lobsters, giant clams, and coconut crabs. This area has not been surveyed before so this will provide a base line for future surveys and play an integral part in formulating management plans for the fishery.

Being the Capitol of Tuvalu, the seat of National Government and the centre of employment opportunities, Funafuti atoll is now home to more than 40% of the country's people, having a population of around 4,000 on less than 3 square kilometres of land (Mclean & Hosking,1992). As most people rely heavily on marine and island resources, the large population is putting increasing pressure on the atoll's natural resources through harvesting as well as from environmental hazards such as rubbish dumping and pollution.

This is a continuation of the survey of islands in Micronesia and American Samoa for invasive plant species requested by the Pacific Islands Committee, Council of Western State Foresters. A survey of selected Micronesian islands was conducted in 1998 and was discussed in a previous report2. This report is based on perceptions gained from a trip to American Samoa from 16 to 23 July 1999, including the islands of Tutuila, Ofu, Olosega and Ta'u. The objectives were three-fold: (1) To identify plant species on the islands that are presently causing problems to natural and semi-natural ecosystems; (2) to identify species that, even though they are not presently a major problem, could spread more widely or spread to other islands where they are not present, potentially causing problems; and (3) to confirm the absence of species that are a problem elsewhere and, if introduced to American Samoa, could be a threat there.