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At its 14th meeting held in the Hague, the Netherlands in June 2007, the Conference of the Parties to CITES adopted decision 14.80 that directed the CITES Secretariat to seek external funding to enable a workshop to be held in the Pacific, in collaboration with appropriate regional organizations, to initiate regional cooperation on the management of sustainable fisheries for giant clams (Tridacnidae).

In December 2008, a Sub-regional Workshop for the Marine Ornamental Trade was held to identify national and regional initiatives that will ensure the long-term ecological, social and economic sustainability of this very important fishery for the Pacific. The aquarium fishery in the Pacific has been in operation for over 30 years, exporting aquarium organisms to the United States and European markets and increasingly, these days, to Asia. Forty companies are involved in 12 Pacific Island countries and territories (PICTs), providing an estimated USD 30–40 million in revenue annually to the PICTs’ economies, and employing approximately 1,470 households in supply activities or facility operations.