12 fisheries in Fiji will be declared marine protected areas (MPAs) at the end of this year.
Department of Fisheries manager Nanise Tuqiri confirmed the 12 new fisheries have been identified and will be gazetted in December this year.
Altogether, Fiji has 466 MPAs.
Tuqiri said the taboo areas were established to ensure the sustainability of each environment.
"We have 410 fishing grounds (qoliqoli) and that represents 79 per cent of Fiji's inshore fishing area," Tuqiri revealed at a Marine Conservation workshop in Suva.
She said they had been working closely with the Fiji Navy, Fiji Police and other relevant stakeholders to monitor and safeguard the MPAs