Story: Paul Jones and Wilson Saeni | Photos: Paul Jones
At 4:00 am, under a three-quarter moon in the small fishing village of Oibola, Joachim Wale'oi prepares his handmade dugout canoe. He loads it with a fishing hand reel, some leftover fish from the previous day and a container of water.
He slips his canoe into the dark waters of the Langalanga Lagoon and paddles out to sea, joining a fleet of other canoes. With no lights or navigation devices, the fishers navigate a one-kilometre journey, dodging exposed reefs and negotiating strong ocean currents. Their destination is a Fish Aggregating Device (FAD), a two-by-two-metre bamboo platform anchored offshore.
At the FAD, around 18 canoes gather as the fishers prepare their lines. Amid the darkness, the air is filled with the sounds of banter and laughter, just like any other workplace.
As the first light creeps behind Mount Alasa'a, Malaita's highest peak, the fishers begin their day. Some stay close to the FAD, jigging their lines to attract fish. Others paddle out, trailing their lines in zigzag patterns, hoping to catch passing bonito or skipjack. As dawn breaks, the scene resembles a chaotic Ironman race more than a fishing expedition.
For Joachim Wale'oi - a fisher, canoe builder, artist and self-described jack-of-all-trades - it's just another day. 'We have no other choice. This is what we must do. My family relies on me to bring home fish for food. What fish is left, my wife sells to other villagers.'
Fishing is a cornerstone of life in coastal communities of the Solomon Islands, essential to both livelihood and food security. But overfishing, climate change, and increasing population pressures have begun to threaten this way of life. Many villages, including those in Malaita, are seeing troubling declines in fish numbers.
According to Mr Meshach Sukulu, lead researcher at not-for-profit organisation WorldFish's office in Auki, the Langalanga Lagoon and other areas of Malaita are no longer as abundant in fish as they once were.
'Fast-growing populations, overfishing and destructive practices like dynamiting have severely damaged Malaita's reefs,' said Mr Sukulu. 'Combined with rising sea temperatures, sea level rise, and unpredictable weather, fishing has become much harder than it was even a year ago.'
Community-based fisheries management
Mr Sukulu works with communities across the Solomon Islands to promote self-sustaining, Community-Based Resource Management (CBRM). Such initiatives in the Solomon Islands have been running for some time. With ACIAR support, the University of Wollongong, WorldFish and the Solomon Islands Government Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR) have partnered to advance this model over the last decade. These programs empower coastal communities to manage their marine resources using traditional laws, training and local know-how skills.
'The way forward is community-based fisheries management that is driven by the communities themselves. Firstly, they express interest in the program, which is followed by a supported process that sees the community set goals and participate in education activities to increase their awareness and understanding of the practice of how to preserve sustainable fishing practices,' explained Mr Sukulu.
Once a village or community is engaged with a CBRM project, a multi-lead team will help facilitate processes such as monitoring the species of fish caught, the number caught and the areas where they are caught.
This is one way to help communities manage long-term management of fish stocks. Fish are the primary source of food and income for these communities. That makes sustainability a top development priority.
Locally led initiatives
Roughly 90 nautical kilometres north, in Suava Bay, another group of fishers from Adaitolo village gathers before sunrise. Led by community elder Mr David Amagela, they steer their handmade canoes toward ripples on the water. Two canoes cast a large circular net, while others slap the water with sticks, driving fish into the net. Divers jump in, grabbing the fish trapped inside.
'It's a good start to the day,' said Mr Amagela. 'We have to take sustainable fishing seriously. Our main food source is at risk of collapse.'
With mounting challenges, both Oibola and Adaitolo villagers are calling for continued support from CBRM partners.
'CBRM has shown real success in improving rural fisheries,' said Mr Sukulu. 'It gives communities the tools to decide how to use and protect their natural resources.'
Associate Professor Dirk Steenbergen from the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security, based at the University of Wollongong, says that CBRM is showing results across the Pacific, not just in the Solomons but in Kiribati, Vanuatu and beyond.
'We recognise that partnerships in CBRM are vital to providing the kind of support that empowers those Indigenous communities to manage their own marine resources. But more than that, this is about enabling genuine participation in decision-making and securing long-term wellbeing across the many coastal communities,' said Professor Steenbergen.
Because more than 90% of inshore marine areas in the Solomon Islands fall under customary marine tenure - where tribal or clan-based groups hold traditional rights to marine resources - CBRM is tailored to reflect the unique needs and values of each community.
'CBRM recognises there's no one-size-fits-all solution,' said Ms Grace Orirana, CBRM country lead and Senior Research Analyst at WorldFish in Honiara. 'Each village develops its own management plan, deciding who can fish where, how much can be caught, and how to enforce the rules.'
The Solomon Islands MFMR, in partnership with non-government organisations like WorldFish, plays a critical role in supporting and guiding these locally led initiatives. 'What we're seeing now is a rise in community leadership,' said Ms Orirana.
'The best managers of marine resources, village to village, are the communities themselves. They are not only addressing resource depletion but also building climate resilience and setting future directions for their people. We still have a way to go, but the seeds of change are starting to grow.'
According to Ms Orirana, national and international partnerships are essential for the long-term success of CBRM.
'It's a collaborative process, where communities and stakeholders work with each other. By combining local knowledge with scientific expertise and external support, communities are better equipped to sustainably manage their resources and meet both environmental and livelihood goals.'
ACIAR Project: Coalitions for change in sustainable national CBFM programs in the Pacific (FIS/2020/172)
