Tribewanted: Vorovoro

So last week, Mariah,Amy and I went to an open community meeting in Labasa put on by the WWF and the WCS.The meeting was about Tabu (prohibited) sites designed to protect Fiji’s natural resources.

An interesting study that was shared with us showed that streams and rivers with high levels of tree density along their banks have a higher level of biodiversity and a higher number of fish all the way out to and beyond the river mouth. Many of the fish species along Fiji’s coast make use of the river systems for feeding and spawning grounds.

Just off the beach of Vorovoro is one a beautiful reef, some of the best snorkeling I’ve ever come across, that has been designated as a tabu site. Fishing here is prohibited. Studies have shown that fishing 75% of a reef can give higher yields than fishing 100% of the same reef. In January 2009 the Fiji government will be changing some of the exsisting tabu sites and creating a few new ones.

Yersterday we had a meeting with Tui Mali and all of the village leaders of Mali to discuss these changes and to fill out some comment forms that will be used to decide what changes should be made. We’re starting to take a more active roll in enforcing the tabu sites including using a giant spot light to shine on any boats that are illegally fishing at night. We’ll keep you updated on how it all unfolds