Images of Robinson Crusoe Island, Juan Fernández Islands

An island community devastated by the Chilean tsunami 27 February 2010

All images © Peter Hodum except where noted Please contact Peter Hodum ([email protected]) with questions or comments Juan Fernández Islands

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Location of the Juan Fernández Islands, situated approximately 700 km off the central coast of Chile. Approaching Robinson Crusoe Island, with Santa Clara Island behind and to the left. View of Cumberland Bay from the Mirador viewpoint, with the town located along the coastal zone of the bay. View of Cumberland Bay and town from the hills on the eastern side of the bay. The central area of town, with fishing boats and fishing lockers (bodegas). The port authority building is in the center. This entire area was destroyed in the tsunami. The coastal zone of the town with the island’s summit, El Yunque, in the central background. All buildings along the shore were destroyed. Night view of part of the coastal zone of town, with cannons dating to the 1700s on the old wharf. The artisanal fisheries of the Juan Fernández Islands define the community and their culture. Fishing is fundamental to their sense of self and of place. A traditional wooden fishing boat, constructed on the island and used in the artisanal fisheries. Note the wooden lobster traps in the boat. The spiny lobster, Jasus frontalis, is the basis of the artisanal fisheries and the economic lifeblood of the community. A traditional wooden fishing boat. Note the small gas-powered winch on the aft thwart. It is used to haul lobster traps. Father and son fishing together, removing lobsters from the trap and measuring them for legal size. Hauling a trap using a gas-powered A particularly large lobster. winch (lower left of photo). A boatload of lobsters ready to be shipped to mainland markets. Hand-lines are used to catch everything from 50 kg mid-water fish to smaller surface-water species. A traditional wooden fishing boat hauled out in the dry dock area. The wooden crate beside the boat is a lobster holding cage. These are moored in the bay and serve to hold lobsters until they are shipped to the mainland. A traditional wooden fishing boat. The outboard engine is visible in the stern well. Packing lobsters in boxes to be flown back to mainland Chile. Packing lobsters in boxes for shipment to mainland Chile. Boats tied up at the wharf, with the fishermen’s syndicate building in the background. The building was destroyed in the tsunami. Hauling traps in the small embayment of Vaquería. The fishing tradition in the islands is passed from generation to generation. Alejandro Selkirk Island, approximately 108 miles west of Robinson Crusoe, and the location of a small, seasonal fishing community. Miraculously, the village on Selkirk was unaffected by the tsunami. The small fishing community on Alejandro Selkirk Island. The small village on Alejandro Selkirk Island. Because there is no safe anchorage, all boats are pulled up out of the water every day. Removing lobsters from a trap and measuring them to determine if they are of legal size. Tsunami 27 February 2010 Various images of the town on Robinson Crusoe prior to the tsunami. Everything in these photos was destroyed by the tsunami. The boatbuilding shed on Robinson Crusoe. This building was destroyed in the tsunami.

Heroic actions There are countless stories of heroism and survival following the tsunami. Here are two of them. Martina Maturana, the 12-year old daughter of a police officer, after hearing about the earthquake from her grandfather on mainland Chile, ran down to the town plaza and rang the emergency bell, providing some warning to island residents.

Germán Recabarren, diving instructor and guide, was swept out to sea by the tsunami. In the dark, amidst the debris, he managed to climb aboard a fishing boat that was adrift and then searched for people in the water. He rescued 10 people. Julio Chamorro, fisherman on Robinson Crusoe and Alejandro Selkirk. His extended family lost all of their possessions in the tsunami, and his sister lost two sons. Please help the Juan Fernández fishing community rebuild: www.helpjuanfernandezislands.org

Questions? Please contact Peter Hodum: [email protected]