Traditionally these people have been engaging in fishing, timber felling and collection of sea turtle eggs, swiftlet nests and forest products.

[2] Generally all islands are covered in thick forest and they rise steeply from rocky shores.

The small steep rocky islets are important as nesting places for the edible-nest swiftlets (Aerodramus fuciphagus).

In 1924, during colonial times, the whole archipelago was declared a game preserve and in 1927 a wildlife sanctuary; even then local people went to the islands to collect large numbers of turtle eggs.

Officially there is a limit to the number of eggs and swiftlet nests that are allowed to be collected.