Open boat Kiribati
Posted by Andrew via Email at 11:00 AM, July 29, 2004
 |
| (C) Greenpeace/Roger Grace |
For many of the team onboard the Rainbow Warrior, open boat days offer some of the most memorable moments of a tour such as this one. We get to meet so many people, from all sorts of backgrounds, and learn about their country, their culture and the issues they face. Importantly, this is also an opportunity to share the knowledge we have of threats facing the Pacific fisheries, and of course to take people on a tour of the Rainbow Warrior herself.
Larger photo
The open days began with the wonderful children of St Anne's who delighted us with their school anthem, big smiles and a fantastic performance of a traditional thank you song. The weekend ended with a visit from the young men and women of the Maritime Training Centre who will be the next generation of the renowned Kiribati sailors, and for both us and them, a visit to a ship such as the Rainbow Warrior had extra significance.
In between we met people from all walks of life - people from the outer islands, politicians, mothers, teachers, fisher-folk, nuns, - you name it - until we had met and talked to nearly a thousand people.
Throughout the weekend, it wasn't lost on us just how many people were directly involved in, or had family involved in, fishing of some form. It certainly put into perspective just how important it is that the Pacific Fisheries remain healthy and are protected from the threats of pirate fishing and over-fishing. In some areas, fish is a principle part of peoples diet, in others a key source of income. Either way, tuna and other fish species are crucial to the ongoing livelihood to most of the people we met during the open days.
So a big thank you to all those people in Kiribati that came to visit the Rainbow Warrior, shared their stories and made us feel so welcome there. And to readers in Majuro, Pohnpei and Honiara - we look forward to seeing and talking with you soon.
-- Mal
