The Solomon Islands and Aquaria
The Intersection of Hobby, Environment and Economy
Four percent of the world's coral bound for the marine aquarium industry come from the Solomon Islands. Learn about these islands and the challenges they face.
Nearly 1,000 Islands
The Solomon Islands are made up of nearly 1,000 islands located in the South Pacific to the northeast of Australia. An equatorial, tropical monsoon climate provides fairly consistent temperatures (80-degrees F on average) with an average annual rainfall of 120 inches. Mountain ranges covered in dense rainforest define much of the Islands’ inland topography, while the coastlines are defined by coconut palm-lined beaches, mangrove forests and fringing coral reefs.
Ethnic Tensions Lead to Hard Times
People have inhabited the Solomon Islands since at least 1000 B.C.E. Today the majority of the roughly 560,000 inhabitants of the Islands make their living largely in agriculture, forestry and fishing. Until 1998, timber was the most important export, but the collapse of the tropical timber industry caused thousands of Solomon Islanders to lose their jobs. Ethnic tensions in the last years of the twentieth century and first years of the twenty-first led to declines in other industries as well. For example, in 1996, more than 175,000 pieces of coral were exported from the Solomon Islands for the marine ornamental industry, but in 2001, just over 33,000 pieces were exported.
Stability
Following the intervention of an Australian-led, multinational force in 2003, stability has gradually returned to the Islands. Nonetheless, poverty is still the reality for many Solomon Islanders, over sixty percent of whom live in isolated villages of less than 200 people. With the return of stability to the region, many industries are being revitalized, including a burgeoning tourism industry. Coral exports have again started to increase, and the harvesting of wild corals and other marine ornamentals provides an important source of income to some Solomon Islanders living in rural communities.
Solomon Island Reefs at Risk
The coral reefs of the Solomon Islands, like tropical reefs the world over, are increasingly at risk due to a number of stressors. These stressors include, over-fishing and destructive fishing methods, unsustainable tourism, coastal development, pollution, and global climate change (which leads to coral bleaching, rising sea levels and acidification). In addition, there is legitimate concern about the impact of the global aquarium trade on coral reefs. Cyanide used in collection, over-harvesting of various high-value species and high levels of mortality as the result of poor husbandry practices and sub-standard shipping have given the aquarium trade—rightfully so—a bad name.
A Sustainable Industry
Does this mean that the marine aquarium trade should end? Not necessarily. There are—and have been for many years—industry insiders and hobbyists alike who have advocated for a sustainable industry where a combination of wild harvested and aquacultured specimens could meet the demand of the hobby and preserve the integrity of the natural ecosystems. Society has taken this approach to many industries—balancing a natural resource’s inherent value as a natural resource AND its commercial value. A sustainable marine ornamental industry is in everyone’s best interest. It will draw attention to the world’s coral reefs, promote further understanding of the remarkable diversity of the seas, support local economies, and provide for a thriving hobby.
