Permit· Katiu· French Polynesia: Tuamotus, Marquesas, Gambier & Australs
Katiu Lagoon Rules: Pearl Farms and Sea Cucumbers
16° 25.2′ S · 144° 19.8′ W · approximate
Katiu is a working pearl lagoon: 23 farmers hold 138 ha and 340 spat-collecting stations, so anchoring and navigation are about keeping off their lines and following local harvesting rules.
Practical
Approximate: representative mid-lagoon point. Pearl farming is concentrated in the center of the lagoon (French Wikipedia: about 250 ha historically; commune 2024: 138.3 ha, 340 collecting stations), and spat-collection lines are authorized in the east near the land. What to do: do not anchor inside a farm or within the area of its buoys and longlines, which can sit just below the surface and are often unmarked; if a farmer asks you to move, do so (at Raroia in 2016 a farm boat politely asked Jacaranda to move away from the onshore farm near the village). Cross the lagoon in good light with a bow lookout and avoid direct village-to-farm tracks. Sea-cucumber (holothurian) harvesting has been authorized since 2017 only on the reef flats of the northwest two-thirds of the lagoon (French Wikipedia): visitors should not collect them. The 11 fish parks near the passes belong to families who export about 8 tonnes a year: do not fish in or next to them. Katiu has no tourism infrastructure (commune, 2024), so ask in Hitianau before visiting a farm or a motu.
Best for
Anchoring without fouling a pearl farm