Abstract
Bivalves (Mollusca: Bivalvia) and gastropods (Mollusca: Gastropoda) are a common component of diets in the Pacific Islands region. After consuming the soft tissue of these organisms, their shells are commonly discarded. We consider how such discards, or shell wastes, might serve as a resource for value-adding activities and focus on a case study of shell wastes being utilized for shellcraft in the Tigak Islands of Papua New Guinea. Through an interview-based approach, we investigate the composition and quantities of shell wastes generated by households, the extent these shell wastes are already integrated with shellcraft, and whether continued generation of these shell wastes remains possible. We found consumption of bivalves and gastropods varies among households, in both composition and quantities, such that each household generates unique shell wastes. However, shell wastes are seldom utilized for shellcraft, with substantial variation between the species consumed and the extent their shell wastes are utilized within households (F = 16.2, P < 0.01). For roughly half (n = 15) of all species consumed (n = 31), significant quantities of unutilized shell wastes coincided with positive perceptions of stock status. We argue that integrating shell wastes with shellcraft is a viable pathway to support livelihood enhancement. Our findings in this local context have regional significance in providing useful insights for guiding interventions to assist households better integrate shell wastes with shellcraft.
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The original contributions presented in this study are included in the article and Supplementary Material. Further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.
Notes
This refers to a common practice of amassing edible mollusks in baskets made from palm fronds (Tilley et al., 2020).
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Acknowledgements
We thankfully acknowledge Michael Mangun as community chairman of the Nusalik and Nusalavu islands for facilitating interactions with artisan households, and staff at the National Fisheries Authority Nago Island Mariculture and Research Facility for facilitating access to research sites. We appreciate the valuable comments from the two reviewers.
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This study was completed as part of a PhD thesis by the lead author, partly funded by an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship awarded through the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC). Additional support was obtained from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and the Papua New Guinea National Fisheries Authority (NFA) through ACIAR Projects FIS/2014/060 and FIS/2019/122 led by Paul C. Southgate at the UniSC.
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NSMS conceptualized this study, collected data, and performed statistical analysis with TAM. NSMS wrote the manuscript with support from TAM, JK, and PCS. All authors contributed to manuscript revision and approved the submitted version.
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Research activities associated with this study were reviewed and approved by University of the Sunshine Coast’s Human Research Ethics Committee (S191337). Authorization to conduct research activities in Papua New Guinea (PNG) was obtained through a Memorandum of Subsidiary Agreement (FIS/2014/060) between the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research and the PNG National Fisheries Authority. Permissions to engage with residents of the Tigak Islands were obtained from elected and traditional community leaders prior to obtaining informed consent from households for their participation in this study.
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Simard, N.S.M., Militz, T.A., Kinch, J. et al. Consumption of Mollusks and Potential Utilization of Resulting Shell Wastes for Shellcraft within a Pacific Islands Context. Hum Ecol 51, 1057–1069 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-023-00457-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-023-00457-2