Saving the Ocean - The Sacred Island - PBS - 2011-04-17

Saving the Ocean - The Sacred Island - PBS - 2011-04-17



The island of Pemba, part of the Zanzibar island chain off the East African coast, is the backdrop to a remarkable story of local fishing villages winning control over their vital fishing grounds. Once threatened by resort development, Pemba's pristine reefs and lagoons - World Heritage candidates - are now managed by, and for, the fishermen. As Carl finds out how it all happened, he fishes with the locals in traditional dhows and dugout canoes, and meets the influential Imams whose sermons told how the Koran requires good stewardship of the world and its resources. Pemba's fishing families are all Moslem, and Carl believes this could be a key to ocean conservation in large parts of the world, where the fishing people also follow Islam.