We went on a tour of the island today. We had a very good tour guide who was very informative.
The main base of the economy in the past was phosphate mining. The only trouble is that the mining ownership was foreign based and very little of the money found its way into the island economy. Now the phosphate reserves are running out and the prices are low due to other producers. There are royalties that are paid but to the main Australian government. The money does not always get spent on the island and in a good way. I do not know how correct this information is. The source is just one tour guide that thinks red crabs and tourism are the next base of the economy.
They spend lots of money protecting the red crabs as a tourist attraction. You can not eat the crabs. They build overpasses over the roads to try to prevent them from getting crushed under wheels. They block roads to protect the crabs. The thought is that the crabs are a key to the environment.
The first photo is a robber crab, next a blue crab, last was a over look of the harbor. Our boat is the forth from the left. We did not see any red crabs.
May fair winds fill your sails with fresh winds
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