It is nearly dawn on 30 October 1980 on the Samoan Islands of Savaii and Upoli (Apia) in the south west Pacific Ocean. The moon is waning and it is the day of its third quarter. According to the Samoan calendar it is a ‘Palolo Day’. Palolo is a marine worm, expected to make itself available for capture in huge quantities today, and considered to be a great delicacy by native Samoans. The sense of anticipation among the local fishermen is high, as they wonder if the worms will emerge to spawn, swarming in the sea around the inshore reefs, as the calendar predicts, or whether their preparations will be to no avail. In the event the forecast is correct and the worms suddenly appear in vast numbers, recorded subsequently by scientists of the Fisheries Division of Samoa as a ‘heavy spawning strength’. Canoe fishermen were able to scoop up large quantities of the spawning mass of worm tails, providing an annual feast for the local people, as they had done at the equivalent phase of the moon at that time of year for many years previously and have continued to do so since.