2008 was the first full year of operation for OceansWatch

What OceansWatch has accomplished so far:

In 2007 we undertook 2 week long investigative trips to PNG and Vanuatu.

In 2008 OceansWatch organised a Reef Check training session in Tonga where 15 members have been trained in April and October 2008.

During the non-hurricane season the yacht Magic Roundabout undertook a 5 month project in Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea where we:

• Undertook many Reef Check surveys
• Distributed about 200 reading glasses
• Assessed communities needs for future projects
• Distributed stationery to the schools we visited
• Trained local community members in ReefCheck
• Visited and assessed how we could help several schools in 2009
• Initiated a water supply project on Karkar island, Papua New Guinea
• Developed relationships with goverment departments and local NGO's
• Encouraged communities we visited to assess their fishery resources for sustainability

During our first year of operation we have learnt a huge amount about how best to support the communities that we have visited to care for their fisheries resources and to develop sustainable livelihoods.

For further information please read our 2008 annual report:

Also take a look at some of the trip photos on Flickr: Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea