Publisher's Synopsis
Centuries of fishing and hunting have given Torres Strait Islanders an intimate familiarity with the sea and its inhabitants, including what may be an unparalleled understanding of dugong behaviour. And the waters around the islands are rich. Sea turtles and dugongs - endangered species in many other tropical waters - are so abundant that they form a large part of the islanders' diets. Coral reef fish and lobsters abound.;But various impacts of the outside world have robbed the islanders of their ability to make a good living from their waters. The authors discuss how such Fourth World peoples (the islanders are Melanesian, but the islands are Australian) may find themselves at an even greater disadvantage than some Third World peoples in exploiting their natural resources for their own benefit.;This text is based on five years of fieldwork. The book treats in detail the history of fishing in the islands; the practices of dugong hunting, turtle hunting and fishing; the islanders' detailed knowledge of the behaviour of marine animals; traditional fishing rights and their doubtful value today; the impediments to the islanders making effective use of their marine resources; and the very high consumption of local seafood, despite the high consumption of imported foods.
