From July 21 to 27, 2025, the Oneisomw community in Chuuk State hosted an aquaculture training and clam farm setup led by The Nature Conservancy (TNC). The effort is part of TNC’s broader Micronesia Coral Reefs Program, supported by the Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR), which works across the region to protect reefs and support sustainable local economies.
More than 20 participants —including local conservation officers, community members, and partners from the Chuuk Department of Marine Resources (DMR), College of Micronesia-Cooperative Research and Extension (COM-CRE), and the Marine and Environmental Research Institute of Pohnpei (MERIP)— took part in practical training in giant clam farming, sponge farming, and rabbitfish aquaculture.
The week-long training combined classroom workshops with field-based training in site selection, cage construction, sponge broodstock collection, and land-based tank systems. These activities are designed to equip communities with the knowledge and tools necessary to manage sustainable aquaculture aligned with reef conservation. “This initiative strengthens coral reef resilience by reducing pressure from wild harvesting, while also creating sustainable livelihood opportunities for local communities. It’s a win for both nature and people,” said Liz Terk, Micronesia Conservation Director at the Nature Conservancy.
A major achievement was the successful transport and stocking of 3,600 bear paw clams and 75 giant clams, the latter reintroduced to Chuuk lagoon after being locally extinct for years. The team also installed a pilot sponge farm using the Micronesian wool sponge and received training on monitoring methods to support future rabbitfish aquaculture.
“This training is about more than setting up clam cages,” said Kriskitina Kanemoto, FSM Conservation Coordinator at The Nature Conservancy, Micronesia and Polynesia, who helped organized the training. “It’s about building local leadership in sustainable aquaculture, supported by collaboration between communities, state agencies, and regional institutions.”