Fiji Fisheries

Call for Pacific to speak up on threat to fishing grounds

He is critical of what he said was the inaction of the Western and Central Pacific Fishing Commission in controlling overfishing in the high seas and the low catches within regional fisheries zones.

Mr Koroilavesau told the annual meeting of the Tuna Commission in Pasay City in the Philippines that Fiji does not want to see this continue as the country's fishery may collapse under the pressure.

The Tuna Commission makes its decision by consensus and easily deadlocked by recalcitrant fishing nations.

Fiji's tuna exports hit by declining stocks

Fiji's fisheries minister, Semi Koroilavesau, said the country's export would only be 10,000 tonnes this year.

This would be down 2000 tonnes on what was exported last year.

Mr Koroilavesau told the Fiji Times this was because of the decreasing tuna population in Fiji waters, caused by changing weather patterns.

 

Photo: RNZI/Giff Johnson

12 fisheries to be declared protected areas

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.