Waitabu Marine Park Blog

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The FLMMA Annual General Meeting was held in the chiefly village of Bua Lomanikoro on Friday 24th, November, 2017. However, The week was also a fruitful one after the 14 Provincial Community Representatives put together their Annual Workplan during the Annual Lessons Learning and Sharing Workshop starting on Monday 20th till  Thursday 23rd Nov 2017. 20th to 24th November 2017, Fiji #LMMA ( FLMMA ) held "Our Ocean Lessons Learning & Annual General Meeting" in Lominikoro, Bua province, Fiji. Around 80 community representatives shared best practices, learned from each other and decided on the next steps for theirs communities through their annual workplan. The final highlight was the FLMMA website launching. #FLMMA #100PercentSolution #GiftToOurFijiGeneration Get full of the story on the brand new website Fiji Locally-Managed Marine Area (FLMMA) Network | AGM 2017, Bua, Lomanikoro

Preparing to open the Temporary Tabu (Tabu Tara) in Waitabu MPA Waitabu’s marine protected area (Tabu Vakadua) is very well known, as they have been preserving it since April 1998, and no fishing of any kind is allowed there. In June 2012 a new experiment was started in an attempt to create a sustainable fishery on a stretch of reef adjoining the Tabu area. This area is called a Tabu Tara (closed/ open) and is designed to be protected for a period of time, opened for controlled harvest and then closed again. A hardy team of volunteers set out to count invertebrate animals such as Giant Clams (Vasua), Sea Cucumbers, and Trochus shells. The team members persisted with their task despite the cold (25 – 26oC) winter waters. FULL STORY HERE:  Preparing to open the Temporary Tabu (Tabu Tara) in Waitabu MPA

During the first week of March, 2012, Waitabu Village played host to a group of dedicated local marine lovers from surrounding  healthordisease.com  villages who came together to take part in the annual marine Survey.

Last week we had one of supporters and friends, Helen Sykes comes to visit and go on a snorkel trip. Great snorkel trip in the Park This time she brought along her sister and brother-in-law, Christine and Larry all the way from Colorado Springs in Colorado USA. Helen and Christine’s late father Derek Sykes and his Lancaster Rotary Club in the UK funded the solar power in the MArine Park building, and supplied a portable solar light to each of the houses in Waitabu before solar was available on Taveuni. Derek and the Rotary Club picture hangs in the Marine Park office. A sevusevu welcoming Larry and Christine Walker, sister and brother-in-law of Helen Sykes, and daughter and son-in-law of Derek Sykes and to the village.  Vuvale  (family) is very important in the Fijian traditions and culture. The group had a good trip out to the Marine Park and snorkeled in the main cut in the Park, a