Papua New Guinea Mine Watch
18 October 2012
Communities along the West Coast of New Ireland fear their centuries old art of shark calling is being destroyed by the noise from the exploration work of Nautilus Minerals.
Local pope fear this internationally renowned aspect of their culture is dying as in the last three years they have not been able to bring back the sharks after their long stays out at sea. This has disappointed tourists who flock to the area annually to witness the great event.
Locals relate this disruption to their culture to the presence of two Nautilus ships anchored out near the shark calling grounds. They say these sharks are sensitive to noise and believe it is the noise from the ships and the equipment they are using that have chased the sharks away.
Fishermen also report excessive levels of dust in the sea which is affecting their catches.
The people are aware the government of New Ireland has said no to deep sea mining and they are happy with that and question why Nautilus is bypassing their government.
They are also critical of the presentations made by Nautilus in their communities. They say the talks were highly technical and Nautilus refused to answer any questions.
Read more about New Ireland Shark Calling in the Guardian UK
Videos on Kontu Shark Callers
