By: Eoghan Olkeriil Ngirudelsang
KOROR, Palau – A recent report from the Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC)
suggests a significant decline in trochus (Semum) populations, leading to the possibility of a
continued ban on their collection. However, a conflicting report from the Bureau of Marine
Resources (BMR) complicates the situation, leaving the reasons for the discrepancy unclear.
According to a press release from PICRC, which collaborated with the Ministry of Agriculture,
Fisheries, and Environment (MAFE) on a survey conducted from December 2023 to March
2024, trochus numbers have been declining across 57 monitored sites from Kayangel to Peleliu.
Between 2016 and 2019, the trochus population reportedly increased from 1 million to 4 million
per hectare, with sizes of the trochus showing significant growth—ranging from a 38% increase
in fore areas to a 72% rise in reef crest areas. Additionally, the percentage of mature trochus
rose from 57% in 2016 to 83% in 2019.
However, the situation has changed post-2019, according to PICRC. The center now
recommends that only 600 individual trochus per hectare should be harvested to maintain a
sustainable population, noting that the current population is too unstable to support an open
harvest season. “Opening the season again could seriously harm the trochus population,”
PICRC stated.
In contrast, a 2020 report from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Environment cited in a
House bill passed on its second reading last December, claimed that trochus populations have
been increasing since 2016. This bill, which aims to allow the re-exportation of trochus, noted
the commercial value of trochus and referenced legal provisions that enable the President to
declare a limited open season for trochus harvesting.
The conflicting reports between PICRC and BMR raise concerns about the true state of Palau’s
trochus population. Island Times was unable to obtain comments from the Bureau of Marine
Resources on the matter.
Many in the community are eagerly anticipating the opening of the trochus harvest season as a
potential source of extra income. However, the uncertainty surrounding the trochus population
raises questions about the sustainability of such a decision.