Page 31 - Islands Business October 2023 edition

Ocean Science

THE SCIENCE WE NEED FOR THE

OCEAN WE WANT

By Kite Pareti

Ocean scientists, technical experts, policymakers, donor
agencies, traditional knowledge holders, and young people
gathered at the Pacific Islands Conference on Ocean Science
and Ocean Management in Fiji last month, calling for
strengthened collaboration to sustainably manage our oceans
and to see the UN Ocean Decade vision become a reality.
Organised by the Pacific Community (SPC), the five-day
conference brought together stakeholders from across the
Pacific to identify, discuss and prioritise ocean science and
management priorities in the Pacific; take stock of the
current integrated ocean management situation in the region;
and talk about and share practical implications and examples
of integrating traditional knowledge to science project and Parrotfish in Wallis and Futuna are overfished. The territory is using AI to trace its
fish stocks. Photo: Pacific Community (SPC)
ocean management.
Traditional knowledge
Retired University of the South Pacific lecturer in marine under intensive exploration for deep-sea mining, showed 90%
studies, Dr Joeli Veitayaki, believes traditional knowledge in of species from the area [are] new to science and in the South
the ocean space “still has its place today”. Pacific, we only have a handful of deep sea genetic studies
“We now have to try to use the best of our skills, traditional from the area and looking at marine genetic resources,
and scientific, to find solutions that work for us. That is the looking at the wider diversity, the chemical diversity,
challenge,” Dr Veitayaki said. enzymes, natural products, these have been even less
“Having the policies and agreements internationally agreed explored,” said Rabone.
to, makes little sense, unless it touches the lives of men and The United Kingdom Natural History Museum, the
women who live in rural areas of the region, often without organisation that Rabone works for, recently piloted a
any voice. nine-month project called ‘Deepend’ that involved SPC,
“Cultural heritage, while it is important for us to rely on, the University of the South Pacific and the Seabed Minerals
has been tailor-made by our people to suit the environment Authority of the Cook Islands. According to the project’s
in which we exist. Unfortunately, we now often put it aside website, seabed mining is inherently high-risk as little is
because of newer technologies that have come. known about the biodiversity in the deep sea.
“If we were to go on a partnership or collaborative process, “There were remarkable results [from the pilot project] in
do not forget, Pacific Islanders have always lived here. That terms of antimicrobial activity and some of these deep-sea
body of knowledge is time-tested and is what allowed them sediments that were collected from the Clarion-Clipperton
to live in the Pacific world.” Zone [a geological submarine fracture zone of the Pacific
A lot of villages across the Pacific, he said, are in danger Ocean) were utilised by existing collections from the region,”
of being “taken off the map” because the “sea water is said Rabone.
continually advancing”. “We had a chance to do some additional surveys and
“We need to make sure we address these issues. We need collected sediments for doing microbiology and also macro
to reach out to our people. We can't do it ourselves. We invertebrates for doing chemistry, to characterise what
have to make sure we engage those who actually own the compounds may be present in these deep-sea species.
resources,” he added. “This project has been challenging because we’ve had a
very short time frame to try and deliver. We need effective
Deep ocean sampling co-development for this next phase and it’s really important
While Pacific Island countries such as Tonga, Vanuatu, that we look at creative ways of what we could do in terms of
Papua New Guinea, Palau, and the Cook Islands are working this next phase.”
on implementing their National Ocean Policies, New Zealand
scientist, Muriel Rabone, reminded attendees that “sampling Unsustainable fishing practices
the deep ocean is difficult” as these are regions that have Sustainability continues to be a major issue in the region’s
“barely been explored”. fisheries sector. In Wallis and Futuna, marine resources are
“A recent study from the central Pacific, which is an area over-exploited due to unsustainable fishing practices.

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