Officers to learn fisheries laws - Fiji Times Online

POLICE officers in Fiji still lag in terms of enforcing the laws that protect fishing boundaries, including poaching issues, says World Wildlife Fund for Nature policy officer Alfred Ralifo.

Speaking at a recent workshop in Labasa, he said police were still not sure of fisheries laws and failed to observe the legal processes required resulting in cases being dropped from court.

"Police need more training on this issue and its provisions so that they can fully enforce it to prevent illegal fishing activities taking place in the North," Mr Ralifo said.

Responding to the statement by Mr Ralifo, police chief operations officer Assistant Commissioner of Police Rusiate Tudravu said they were aware of the problem and they would deal with it by providing more training to their police officers.

"We are training police officers in ensuring that our officers are well versed with the Fisheries Act and the powers that they have under the Act to prosecute offenders especially for illegal fishing," ACP Tudravu said.

"We cannot deny that our police officers are not well versed with the Fisheries Act and we are ensuring that they receive adequate training to enforce these laws effectively."

Officers to learn fisheries laws

Waitabu Marine Park with Island Spirit

Waitabu Marine Park has long since been a pioneering example of a successful locally managed Marine Protected Area (MPA). 

Waitabu is a very traditional village, reliant on farming and subsistence fishing. In 1998 Waitabu Village requested assistance to initiate a marine Protected Area for tourism, to conserve marine resources for future generations

"Inspiring people in Fiji and abroad to make positive changes throughout their lives by introducing them to sustainable environmental projects and eco adventures with sensitivity to local values and traditions."

Waitabu Marine Park

Marine life increases - Fiji Times Online

Great article by Kirsty in this week's Fiji Times!

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Reef check team enters the tabu tara area. Picture: Supplied

A MARINE park in Waitabu, Taveuni, has recorded a significant increase in fish and marine species. 

The development comes after the communities of Waitabu, Lavena, Wai, Vurevure and Bouma expressed interest in finding out how the new, seven-month-old tabu tara area directly outside their villages was affecting fish numbers and coral growth. 

A group of dedicated marine lovers came together to take part in their annual marine survey. 

Host and Island Spirit director Kirsty Barnby said more marine species were sighted compared to last year's survey. 

For beche-de-mer (sea cucumber), she said a healthy increase from 107 to 176 were recorded in the tabu tara area this year. 

"Baby beche-de-mer are breeding in the tabu tara area and as a result, juveniles are being seen in the tabu tara for the first time — 156 were recorded in the tabu tara area," Ms Barnby said. 

For the first time, she said levels of coral have increased and seaweed levels were decreasing in the tabu tara area. 

"Due to the increase in coral, 300 ika loa lailai (small surgeon fish) were noted in the tabu tara. 

"They feed on seaweed which in turn aids coral growth," Ms Barnby said.

Full article here: Marine life increases - Fiji Times Online

Sea Cucumber ID cards help sustainable reef management in Fiji

Waitabu Marine Park, in the Vanua Bouma of Taveuni Island, is one of the original community-based marine managed areas in Fiji. Started in 1998, Waitabu’s no-take, or “Tabu Vakdua” area, was one of the founder members of the Fiji Locally Managed Marine Areas (FLMMA)network in 2001.

Protected for 15 years, the Tabu Vakadua area is now rich in fish, coral and invertebrate life, and the community has recently started a new project; a temporary closure known as a “Tabu Tara”.

The concept of the Tabu Tara is to close an area of reef neighbouring the long-term Tabu Vakadua, allow marine life to increase in the newly closed area, and then to open it for short term specific harvests.

In this way it is hoped to create a form of sustainable “farming” of marine resources, with regular cropping.

Sea Cucumbers

SeaCucumbers have been a trade item in Fiji for 200 years. Unfortunately, in recent times, advancing technology such as SCUBA and Hookah underwater breathing equipment has allowed fishers to go deeper and collect for longer than in the past, resulting in many reefs being completely stripped of these important reef cleaners. 

Without Sea Cucumbers to eat rotting plant and animal material, the sea bed soon becomes covered in dirt and detritus, and corals eventually become unhealthy and die. 

When corals are in poor health, all life on the reef suffers.

Waitabu’s Tabu Tara

In Waitabu’s Tabu Tara, the community has started to count and study their Sea Cucumber populations, so that a sustainable harvest can be decided upon, which will eventually allow them to regularly take a certain amount of cucumbers, while enough are left to breed and re-stock the reef

If this is to work, it is important for community member to understand Sea Cucumber biology and lifecycles, so that they can make informed decisions about harvesting frequency and size. 

2013 Training Sessions

During the recent annual Tabu area surveys between 11 and 16 February 2013, a training session on Sea Cucumbers was held.

Participants from four of the Vanua Bouma communities; Waitabu, Wai, Korovou and Lavena, learned about the lifecycle of Sea Cucumbers in general from information sheets complied by the Locally Managed Marine Areas(LMMA) network, and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), and to identify specific species using a set of waterproof cards provided by SPC.

By Helen Sykes 

Marine Ecology Consulting

Dedicated Locals Keep a Keen Eye on the Reef: Annual Survey is a Great Success

During the first week of March, Waitabu Village in Taveuni, Fiji, played host to a group of dedicated local marine lovers who came together to take part in the annual marine Survey.

Waitabu Marine Park has long since been a pioneering example of a successful locally managed Marine Protected Area (MPA). The communities of Waitabu and Bouma came together to protect their native fishing grounds in 1998. Their foresight and diligence allows visitors the opportunity to share in the beauty of the Waitabu Marine Park.

The week of marine activities included:

•  Large scale habitat and invertebrate species: The manta tow monitoring method is used for assessing broad-scale changes in reef cover due to cyclone damage, coral bleaching and outbreaks of the Crown-of-Thorns starfish.
• Fine scale invertebrate surveys: Timed search and measurements.
• Fine scale reef populations: Reef Check’ point and belt transects: A randomised technique to measure what is on a reef in a small area, we can then compare to other reefs around the globe.
• Fish populations: Underwater visual census for indicator species.

Full article here: Dedicated Locals Keep a Keen Eye on the Reef: Annual Survey is a Great Success

DiveMe | Marine Reserve | Ocean Life

MARINE PARK RESERVES LINKS
PARKS	LINKS
Namena Marine Reserve	www.namena.org
Waitabu Marine Park	www.waitabu.org
Bula Sharks Fiji	www.saveourseas.com
Beqa Adventures Divers	www.fiji-sharks.com
Coral Reef Alliance - Fiji Project	www.coral.org
Shark Foundation Fiji	www.sharkfoundation.org

Fiji Islands Travel Guide | DiveMe | Marine Reserve | Ocean Life

Fiji Island Travel Guide | Diveme | Marine Reserves

Come in LLMAs & MPAs

What is an MPA?

“A MPA is an area of ocean or coastal water recognised by both government and society as having specific conservation value. Measures are put in place to preserve the quality of marine life including restricted access for fishing, diving and other potentially harmful activities.”
Fiji's commitment to establish a Marine Protected Area (MPA) Network covering 30 per cent of the country's in-shore fisheries by 2020 could be realised earlier than expected.
This commitment made in January 2005 by the Government has resulted in more than 200 marine protected areas within Fiji's 410 customary fishing grounds, known as i qoliqoli. That's more than 50 per cent of the total target accomplished within just three years.
Conservationists are excited about the increase in the number of MPA's or fishing grounds that have been declared tabu by traditional owners. And they are targeting for more. Already surveys have shown that fish numbers and other marine resources are increasing in these tabu areas and many have dispersed to other areas, leading to increased catches and improved livelihoods especially amongst coastal communities, which makes up 60 per cent of Fiji's population.
Government's partnership with non-government organisation and the community to protect its marine environment for a sustainable future has challenged other Pacific Island nations to do likewise.
There are many examples of success stories in the establishment of MPAs or FLLMAs.
Waitabu Marine Reserve is a fabulous reef that has been set aside for the benefit of snorkel tourism and environmental education. After a marine life survey was carried out, the traditional rural village of Waitabu decided in 1998 to set aside this area as a “no-take” reserve to enable replenishment of marine life and fish stocks.
In place of income from fishing, the villagers now take snorkel tours to the marine park, promoting small-scale marine tourism as a consistent source of income.
The reserve is part of the Fiji Locally Managed Marine Area Network (FLLMA) and, as a division of the Bouma National Heritage Park is managed by the Bouma communities and supported by Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL), Resort Support and many other NGOS.
Fiji Island Travel Guide | Diveme | Marine Reserves