Washington Island Pacific Ocean

It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean in the west and British Columbia in the north. The Harbor Friday, San Juan Island, WA.

terraina

Taraina in October 2006. Note the pond in the south-east of the island, which extends from approximately lefthand to righthand. Two unpaved streets surround the island - an external one (Beach Road) and an inner one (Ring Road). Transportation to the interior is by ferry on man-made channels, which is unique for a Pacific island.

This old touchdown was on the west tip, but that was risky because it was subject to the waves on the plains of the reefs; it was recently superseded by a new and more readily available touchdown just to the south of Tangkore, where the channel system flows into the ocean. Teeraina was neither populated in 1798, nor, it seems, definitive remnants of pre-historic mankind ( "in contrast to the mere existence of man") have ever been found.

Some inconvenient but nevertheless powerful indications (see also below) that there was at least a small and transient attendance of Polyynesian sailors who probably came from Eastern Polynesia and perhaps from the Society Islands before they came into contact with the West[5]Gilbertese. There may also have been a transient attendance, but this is unlikely, since the island was not on one of its main trade lanes, and due to the predominant west wind and current it would have been almost impossi bile to return to the core country of Gilbert.

Taraina was spotted on June 12, 1798 by the US Ocean Whaler Capt. of the Betsy, Mr. Edward L. Brown, who called the island after George Washington but tried not to dock. It was later invoked under the Guano Islands Act of 1856 for the United States under the name Prospect Island.

In 1916 it became part of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colonies. In 1979 the name of the island was renamed Teeraina when Kiribati became independent. 1 ] The main exporter of taraina is coir, the dry flesh of coconuts. Tang-Kore is near the most westerly point of Teraina: Teeraina in April 2006, SSW above.

Notice the inundated moorland in the western (right) part of the island. Taraina is also very interesting from an ecological point of view for several reason. Secondly, it has the biggest populations of a unique type of birds in the whole wide area of the globe, even though it is more than 2,500 km from its native country. Finally, the island's bio-diversity seems to clearly demonstrate that around 1200 AD, the island was occupied by a considerable number of people.

There is currently no official conservation of the island's eco-systems or types, but it has been proposed that the most important habitats, namely the moors, should be protected by law. 3 ] The Rimatara Iorikeet ( "Vini kuhlii") is threatened worldwide, but does not seem to need official protection;[11] it actually profits from changes in the use of man's lands and wildcat.

While the former provides more space for migratory animals, the latter have so far been able to keep Teraina totally free of dark rat (Rattus rattus), which, due to their arboreal practices, would seriously endanger the population. 11 ] In view of the adverse experiences of Rennell Island, for example, it seems wise to maintain a strong tiltapia-fishing.

They are certainly a precious resource of proteins on Teraina and were initially imported for this use. Although many sea birds are nesting on taraina, the restricted habitats are less important for many of these types than others, similarly large antolls. Approximately 10 kinds of sea birds brood here, above all nests of trees like the small blank terns (Gygis microrhyncha) and the red-footed boobies (Sula sula).

3 ] The Egretta Sakra ( "Eastern Egretta "), which is widely spread in the area, can also be found on Teraina. The migrating robin (Arenaria interpres),anderling ( "Calidris alba"), whimbrel (Numenius tahitiensis), European whitethroat (Pluvialis fulva) and greytail (Tringa brevipes) and migrating chatter (T. incana) regularly use taraina as a shelter.

Seagulls, other coastal birds and occasional North American and Eastern Asiatic ducks may appear as vagabonds. Historically, two types of land birds and a subtype of canard have been identified. 9 ] It is encircled by a great secret, especially concerning the origins of the populations, the ages and thus the applicability of the variety (sometimes it is argued that it differs considerably) as well as the causes and the date of its extinction.

One thing is certain: in the mid-1870s there was a few large populations of ducks[9], while in 1900 they all disappeared. Like most of the Pacific Ocean islets, there are no indigenous terrestrial animals. There have been Exulan Rattus on Teeraina,[11] apparently since pre-historic time. Today's influence on the populations of fowl is small, but once there were tracks on taraina, it is likely that they played a part in the extinction of these fowls, and perhaps all the other fowls that died out in pre-historic time.

When a Prosobonia Stint was once raised on taraina, it is almost certainly the animals that caused the extinction of these animals; there is only one Prosobonia taxi that can survive on avocets without any of them. Wild animals such as wild and pork are present in different numbers on Teraina; especially the cat is the cause of a certain decrease in the number of sea fowl breeding on the area.

3 ] On the other side, as mentioned above, they have kept the rats in check so far. Among the lacustrines recorded from taraina are marine life and some undescribed "shrimps",[9] i.e. (in all probability) a member of Crustacea. Among the fresh water taraina fishery are the marine eels (Anguilla marmorata), a Caranx fresh water tree trévally and oreo chromis tiltapias and the milk fry (Chanos chanos).

Both the last two, and perhaps the most trevally, have been launched recently. It can be assumed that the sea is continually being filled up from the Pacific, although it appears that there is no up-to-date information on the habitats of taraina-eel. The Rimitara Lorikeet Species factsheet. National Statistics Office (KNSO) (2006): Population and Housing Census 2005 (preliminary results).

island-liner islands. 199-228 is a list of wetlands in Oceania.