In a small way the economy of the Louisiades is like Australia; the economy is all about China. 

Beche de mere (sea slug) fishing, used to be a staple income for the Louisiades. But demand from the insatiable Chinese market has now completely annihilated the stock here. The government probably stepped in too late when it banned fishing of the species for 3 years. The ban ends late this year, but I have seen only one of the animals in all the diving we have done. 

Another obscure culinary ingredient has replaced the sea slugs now, shark fin. Shark fin sells into the wholesale market for China for 200 keena ($100 AUD) a kilo. I was shown a single dried fin on Mabneian Island yesterday that must have weighed no more than 20 gms. God knows how many sharks are required for a kilo of fin. I know little about fisheries science but  I suspect that shark populations will, like the beche de mere, plummet. Then what? 

Prices for the colonial staple of the Pacific, copra, are now so low that it is unviable. Everywhere remnants of the old plantations can be seen and in places you can see the islanders  nursing the groves back to life with clearing and planting. But is this a measure of last resort? How do you plug into a the world economy, or even the local economy, with nothing to sell?