Pangai is the administrative center with various government offices. Hihifo is a typical village on the island. Most of the people on the island are subsistence farmers and fishers with any surplus catch sold. Only women fish in the inshore tidal flats at low tide where they glean for shellfish, sea cucumbers and reef fishes. At other times they are either engaged in household duties or are weaving mats.
Men obtain much of their income from the plantation.
There are four outer island family groups in Hihifo. The people in these groups catch and smoke fish and octopus for sale to meet their living expenses. There are 14 small boats with outboard engines and four gill nets in Hihifo. This study is preliminary work and does not represent a complete documentation of all the fishing practices and local knowledge of the village. This was supplemented and verified by interviews and personal observations made during December 1996 and January 1997 by N.T. and M.N-S. Fishing Methods 1.