Japanese poaching and the enforcement of German colonial sovereignty in the Marshall Islands

Abstract

In the first decade of the 20th century Japanese plumage hunters visited many of the uninhabited Central Pacific atolls, depleting the local bird populations. When a group of Marshallese engaged in traditional birding surprised a group of Japanese on remote Bokak Atoll in 1909, the German colonial administrator was forced to deal with the issue without guidance from Berlin. This paper describes the events and reviews the German actions in the light of similar incidents in Hawaii.