The prospects of giant clam culture in Tuvalu are examined. Sea resources such as tuna appear to be plentiful in Tuvaluan waters and the Fisheries Division has given priority to the exploitation of those resources. This decision may also be brought about by the uncertain market outlook for clam products and the limited competitiveness of Tuvalu, essentially because of high transport costs compared to Fiji and because of lack of facilities for food processing. A lesson from this case is that because of the structure of the transport system in the Pacific, it may not be advisable to promote the development of the same ‘export' industry in a ‘central' country like Fiji and in a ‘satellite' nation such as Tuvalu.