Fishing for Answers

This story is featured in the spring 2014 issue of 360:The Magazine of San Diego State University.

 In 2007, an outbreak of coral-eating starfish called the “crown of thorns” nearly decimated the coral reefs off of Mo’orea, an island paradise in the Pacific Ocean just west of Tahiti.

Then a miracle happened.

Within three years the reef—which would normally perish after such an infestation—had not only recovered, but was thriving to a degree no marine scientist could have predicted.

There is no certain explanation for the reef’s recovery, but evidence suggests that the ancient conservation practices of Mo’orea’s indigenous people may have saved the coral from annihilation.

“If true, this could be a recipe for managing coral reefs all over the Pacific Ocean,” said Matthew Lauer, San Diego State University professor and environmental anthropologist. “We can learn a lot from the people who have been fishing the ocean for thousands of years.”

Centuries-old resource management practices in Mo’orea include regulating human access to certain fishing areas and limiting the fishing of certain species like parrot fish. These traditions may be protecting the coral reefs, not just from the effects of destructive starfish, but also from damage caused by hurricanes and coral bleaching.

With funding from the National Science Foundation, Lauer is launching a new project this summer in Mo’orea. In June he will travel to the island with two SDSU graduate students.

They will live among the Tahitian villagers and learn how the islanders manage their environment in ways that may bolster the health and resilience of the coral reefs. The Mo’orea project builds on Lauer’s extensive research experience among Pacific Islanders. For the past 12 years, he has conducted similar research in the Solomon Islands, a nation in the far western Pacific.

The SDSU researchers will immerse themselves in the culture of Mo’orea—learning the language, eating the food, and taking part in the daily life of the village—all the while collecting oral histories and gleaning information about fishing traditions and practices.

As an anthropologist, Lauer approaches the island’s environmental challenges in a way that differs from marine scientists. In fact, he has occacionally played mediator between ecologists and local fishermen.

“Most ecologists see humans as the problem,” said Lauer. “But in Mo’orea, people appear to have learned to manage their impact on the environment. If we can integrate scientific knowledge with traditional wisdom, there is potential to provide key insights into sustainably managing our environment over the long-term.”