Editor’s note

This edition consists of three articles, the first two of which deal with weather and fisheries in Melanesia.

The first article, entitled ‘Modifications to natural resource use in response to perceptions of changing weather conditions on Takuu Atoll, Papua New Guinea’, is by Anke Moesinger of the University of Bremen. Takuu Atoll is one of three Polynesian outliers in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea. One the main environmental concerns for the people of Takuu is the unpredictability of weather patterns, specifically trade winds. This article examines key perceptions of alterations in trade winds and other environmental changes, and explores how fishers, primarily Takuu men, have adapted to these alterations through changes in their fishing methods and giant clam mariculture.

The second article, entitled ‘The role of fisheries resources and community-based coastal resource management activities during a natural disaster – Case study of Vanuatu after Tropical Cyclone Pam’, is by Kalo Pakoa, of the Vanuatu Department of Fisheries, and six co-authors. Based on surveys, it demonstrates how coastal resources provided an important source of protein for communities after the disaster of Tropical Cyclone Pam, which struck Vanuatu in March 2015. Using questionnaires to interview local people in affected areas, the survey recorded how people in coastal areas coped with the natural disaster. It clarifies the importance of coastal fisheries and effective community-based management in food security, especially in emergencies. The results showed that coastal fishery resources were relatively resilient compared with other food sources, especially crops and livestock, and that such wise use of coastal fishery resources can enhance food security following natural disasters.

The third article is authored by Jay Maclean. It introduces several of his less well-known books, which include a fascinating fairy tale about ‘reverse colonisation’ and a study of fly flatulence, among other more scientific works. All these books (other than In Tropical Seas) can be seen online. Nearly all were intended to be, and originally appeared, free-of-charge (except In a Perfect Ocean) in a subsidiary website of MacMillan, but after an independent publisher took over the same role this year, books had to have a minimum price of USD 0.99.

Kenneth Ruddle

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