New ways of fishing need new rules to protect the reefs

Science Commentary 5

Motorboats came to the outer islands after World War II, which was not that long ago. Before the war, and still on some of the outer islands, canoes were mostly used for fishing. This meant fishers could only go where it was safe to go depending on the weather and the season, and where the wind would get them there and bring them back. They also needed to know how to navigate to go to the right places. Now many people use motorboats and GPS. Fuel for motorboats is expensive, which means that many people go to the same places to fish, and they will choose the closest places to save money and fuel. This has changed the way reefs are fished, and means that some reefs were fished too much, and they became ‘sick’ and had few fish. Using traditional management can work, but new and more modern ways of fishing such as with spears and motorboats need their own kind of management too. Sometimes a mixture of traditional management with western science and support can be a good partnership.