Structure of Traditional Canoes in Northern Papua New Guinea

Abstract

Traditional canoes are widely operated in South Pacific island countries even nowadays. Those canoes are attempted to be utilized as fishing boats in coastal fisheries development. The study aims to assess adaptability of traditional canoes as fishing boats in modern fisheries. This paper deals with structural characteristics of canoes from a view point of fishing vessel technology. A field survey on traditional canoes was conducted in northern Papua New Guinea in 1985. Eight canoes from six villages in various provinces were measured to draft lines and general arrangements. Dimensions, loading capacity and structure were analyzed along with 87 other canoes recorded. Two types of canoes were observed, i.e. a single-outrigger type and a non-outrigger single hull type. The former is common while the latter was found only in the Sepik River region. Details of design vary from region to region. Canoes have small loading capacity, about 200 kilogrammes (kg), although they have light weight and large horizontal dimensions. This allows only two men and small tools on board in fishing. Most canoes have small depth and freeboard. Weaknesses of the traditional design are in such parts as connections of the outrigger, booms and the main hull. Magnified torque is suspected to work upon these parts in bow and quartering seas, which appears due to large transversal dimension. This presumption is supported by many canoes abandoned because of destruction of those connection parts. The observed canoes are not suitable for use in modern coastal fisheries, which need relatively heavy gear and are conducted in open seas. Useful life is not very long due to structural weaknesses. Even the low building cost of a canoe may not be advantageous from an economic view point. Thus these canoes may only receive limited use in modern coastal fisheries.