Please select your home edition
Edition
Vaikobi 2024 December

OceansWatch training pays off for sustainability in the Solomons.

by Chris Bone/Sail-World Cruising on 17 Mar 2013
There’s always a welcome on Pacific Islands - Tuwo Reef Guardians SW
Chris Bone, inspirational leader of OceansWatch, an organisation of sailors who help islanders of the Pacific where they sail to cope with their changing environment and climate change, speaks here about the challenges of 'making a difference'.

It can be very hard to show that we are actually achieving success towards sustainability, especially to hard nosed grant making bodies.

They want the hard facts, comprehensive surveys costing thousands of dollars that frankly OceansWatch would rather spend on grass roots conservation.

Yet there are other ways to show our impact...


OceansWatch works in the Temotu district of the Solomon Islands which was hit recently by a devastating Tsunami. Villages where we work lost houses and many had their precious cooking utensils washed out to sea. People are in a very difficult situation, vegetable plots are likely to have been washed away or salt intrusion will have limited growth, wells will also have been affected by salt water intrusion. People need money to buy food and other essential supplies, yet they have no money.

OceansWatch has run a fundraiser and is sending building materials and cooking utensils yet we know it's not enough.

A source of income in the area has been the harvesting of Sea Cucumbers. Over the last 100 years the Sea Cucumber stocks in the South West Pacific have dropped radically as local people have sold stocks to Asian buyers. There was big money in the trade but now Sea Cucumber numbers are scarce and a few years ago the Solomon Islands government finally banned harvesting to ensure that they were not wiped out.

Sea Cucumbers take years to replenish, surveys show that even after 30 years stocks can not regain natural population densities and many species have been reduced below their tipping point, individuals are so scarce that they can no longer meet each other to sexually reproduce so have to resort to asexual division, which unfortunately is not fast enough to retain numbers.

During our last trip to the Island of Fenualoa in the Solomon Islands we surveyed Sea Cucumbers. Our survey covered 6 kilometres of ideal Sea Cucumber habitat that in its natural state could have sustained several Sea Cucumbers per square meter. So how many did we find? just sixteen over the whole area. I do not pretend to be a marine scientists but if asked to describe the Sea Cucumber population in the area I think 'Critically Endangered' would be a fair description.

A key component of how we work at village level is our Reef Guardian program. This program educates and empowers a team of local conservation minded fishermen to monitor the health of their marine ecosystem and guide their community on how to ensure the sustainability of the resource.

Because of the recent Tsunami the Solomon Islands government has just lifted the ban on harvesting Sea Cucumbers. This allows local people to collect and sell any Sea Cucumbers they find in a totally unregulated manner. Populations could be wiped out and with no Sea Cucumbers left the ecosystem as a whole will suffer. This is because of the essential role they play cleaning and aerating the substrate, thus constraining harmful algal growth and ensuring a suitable habitat for invertebrates, which in turn provide food for bottom feeding fish.

The OceansWatch trained Reef Guardians now understand the important place Sea Cucumbers have in the community owned reefs and also know that they have a responsibility to their community to take care of them. So instead of rushing out in their canoes to harvest these Reef Guardians had a meeting and through their recently gained knowledge they very wisely decided NOT to harvest the Sea Cucumbers.

These Reef Guardians now understand what real sustainability means, they see that in the long term, having a viable breeding population of sea cucumber is far more important than short term gain of just a few dollars. Well done to the 2012 Oceanswatch Marine Team for empowering them to take this stand.

To participate in OceansWatch projects contact chris@oceanswatch.org

Sydney Boat Show 2025 - Apply to ExhibitRooster 2025Pantaenius Sail 2025 AUS Footer

Related Articles

SailGP's return to Auckland for Season 6 confirmed
ITM is the NZ's Grand Prix's Title Partner, marking a fourth year supporting Black Foils. After a record breaking debut, the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix Auckland has been confirmed to be returning in 2026 and is set to be bigger than ever.
Posted on 26 Jun
Rolex SailGP Championship 2026 dates confirmed
Including a return to fan-favorite destination, Auckland SailGP has released further details of forthcoming 2026 Season, including the return of fan-favorite locations, multi-year hosting agreements secured across all regions, and an evolved regional structure to raise the stakes for athletes and fans alike.
Posted on 26 Jun
BOISW - New Committee announced for 2026
New Committee working hard behind the scenes to rework the 2026 Bay of Islands Sailing Week . A newly appointed committee is already working hard behind the scenes to rework the 2026 Bay of Islands Sailing Week event while honouring the traditions that have made it so special to the sailing community.
Posted on 26 Jun
Pip Hare Announced as Patron of WORLDSTAR 2026
A meaningful return to her roots with the Royal Western Yacht Club of England The Royal Western Yacht Club (RWYC) is absolutely delighted to welcome solo ocean racing legend Pip Hare as the Patron of WORLDSTAR 2026—our flagship round-the-world sailing event. This is more than a title; it's a homecoming.
Posted on 26 Jun
Kieler Woche Day 7
British mixed dominance in dinghy and catamaran After the second day of the Sailing Grand Slam in the Olympic mixed classes, Martin Wrigley and Bettine Harris are leading the 470 class even more dominantly than John Gimson and Anna Burnet in the Nacra 17 on Thursday (June 26).
Posted on 26 Jun
29th Superyacht Cup Palma day 1
Cervo and Open Season take opening day honours The Superyacht Cup Palma 2025 swung into action today, with captains and crews across the varied and inspiring fleet seizing the opportunity to take the measure of the competition out on the racecourse.
Posted on 26 Jun
J/70 Mixed-Plus Worlds at Lake Garda Day 1
Yupi leads after a perfect opening day in Torbole Lake Garda delivered its finest conditions for the opening day of the first-ever J/70 Mixed-Plus World Championship: three races completed in a steady, warm Ora breeze peaking at 20 knots.
Posted on 26 Jun
Tschüss 2 - Transatlantic Titans
Line Honours for Christian Zugel's Volvo 70 in the Transatlantic Race 2025 Volvo 70 Tschüss 2 (USA), owned by Christian Zugel and co-skippered by Johnny Mordaunt, has taken Line Honours in the West to East Transatlantic Race 2025 in an elapsed time of 07 Day 15 Hrs 29 Mins and 10 Secs.
Posted on 26 Jun
Craig Wood Makes History
The first triple amputee to sail solo non-stop and unsupported across the Pacific Craig is the first triple amputee to sail solo non-stop and unsupported across the Pacific, completing the 7506nm journey from Mexico to Japan in 90 days.
Posted on 26 Jun
NTG Global Graduate Program
Shape your career and propel yourself into the world of innovation North Technology Group, a global leader in advanced composite technology, is offering an exciting and dynamic graduate program that will shape your career and propel you into the world of innovation.
Posted on 26 Jun