Marine Atlas: Maximizing Benefits for Solomon Islands

FULL SPEED AHEAD: VESSEL TRAFFIC Solomon Islands’ waters are a highway for thousands of domestic and international vessels that are lifelines for many Solomon Islanders who rely on the regular delivery of important goods and food items. Minimizing potential environmental and safety risks is a high priority for all.

Ships coming in and out of Solomon Is- lands, from fishing vessels to cargo vessels, cruise ships and ferries, serve many different purposes. As a nation of islands, shipping is an important method for moving goods and people between islands. The map reflects large registered vessel traffic and does not capture small local boat traffic. Fishing vessels operate in a range of fish- eries, including artisanal and subsistence inshore fisheries and commercial offshore fisheries for tuna and billfish (see also chap- ters “Fishing in the dark” and “Small fish, big importance”). Fishing vessel activity is one of the main shipping activities occurring in Solomon Islands’ waters and is highest

north and south-west of the main islands, where vessels use the Port of Honiara and several smaller ports in Western Province. The main cargo shipped out of Solomon Islands includes log exports, palm oil, cocoa and fish (Mizusawa et al., 2012). The government manages the major ports in Solomon Islands, including the two largest international ports in Honiara and Noro. The port in Yandina was previously the country’s third largest international port, but stopped being used in this capacity in 2012 (Mizusa- wa et al., 2012). There are numerous smaller ports in Solomon Islands that are used to connect a network of inter-island shipping routes, linking all the main islands.

From the map of different types of vessels crisscrossing Solomon Islands’ waters, it is clear that MSP is key not only for naviga- tional safety, but also to minimize conflicts with Solomon Islands’ many other marine values that are threatened, be it by fishing or oil spills. In order to avoid the negative impacts of oil transporters and shipping emissions in general, and to decrease Sol- omon Islands’ fossil fuel dependence, more sustainable forms of sea transport are being explored. As a seafaring nation, Solomon Islanders can look to their ancestors, who were advanced sailors following the stars in their traditional canoes, for inspiration.

Te puke People have been living on Taumako—the largest of the Duff Islands—as early as 900 B.C. Those who made pottery, known as the Lapita, made the island their home. Over 2,500 years later, Spanish explorer Álvaro de Mendaña visited the Santa Cruz Islands and was first to report the people’s impressive tradition in 1595—a tradition that still sur- vives. Full traditional Polynesian navigational techniques have been preserved by the peo-

ple of Taumako, who are the builders of one of one of the oldest documented proa sailing canoe, named the te puke or tepuki, which means “ocean-going canoe”. The te puke is a very old Melanesian and Polynesian type of boat; it has a similar appearance to an outrigger canoe and has a crab claw sail. This highly sophisticated sailing ship shows the deep connection between Solomon Islanders, sailing and the ocean.

MAXIMIZING BENEFITS FOR SOLOMON ISLANDS

THREATS

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