TECI VILLAGERS OVERWHELMED WITH GOVERNMENT’S ASSISTANCE
Men and women of Teci Village in Yasawa shed tears of joy when they were officially handed over their solar freezer by the Minister for Fisheries, Semi Koroilavesau.
The handover, which took place in the village hall on Saturday 19 September, was a momentous occasion for the villagers, especially as they have been yearning to own a freezer for quite a while. Mr Koroilavesau said that the distribution of the solar freezer is part of Government’s collective efforts to elevate the quality of life for all Fijians. He also said that many Government agencies were also able to donate freezers and similar equipment to the communities.
“For the Ministry of Fisheries, this is our first handing over here in Yasawa and I am happy that the Ministry of Fisheries is able to contribute to the income and food security for the village,” said Mr Koroilavesau.
“I understand that fishing is the only source of income on the island and with the provision of a solar freezer, men and women will be able to preserve their catch for a longer period of time before transporting it to mainland Viti Levu for trade.
“Government has a priority to serve all Fijians and no matter how far the community is located or its size, we will continue to assist and provide wherever we can. We are not leaving any Fijian behind in our quest to move forward as a nation,” added Mr Koroilavesau.
Tui Teci (Village chief), Ratu Salimoni Ratuvodo spoke on behalf of his people and said that they were truly grateful for the assistance and
sincerely appreciated the gesture shown by Government through the Ministry of Fisheries.
“We waited patiently and knew deep in our hearts that our time would come, and now that we have received the solar freezer, we will surely treasure it and use it to its full potential,” said Mr Ratuvodo. With tears in his eyes, Mr Ratuvodo recalls the hardships that his people have faced, especially with the return of many men and women who lost their jobs due to the impacts of COVID-19.
“It has been tough for us and all of the young people here in the village who used to work in the hotels and resorts in the Yasawa Group are now fishing full time to support their families,” he said. “Obligations to the Vanua, church and to their individual families are now met with income earned from fishing. Meeting all these obliga
tions will be a lot easier now with the solar freezer.”
He added that in all his 10 years of leadership on the island, the assistance received from Government have always impacted the lives of the people as they worked towards building a successful future, especially for their future generations. “Government has done a lot for us over the years and we are most certainly grateful for their continued support,” he smiled.
The three-door solar freezer was funded by one of the ministry’s bilateral partners and cost around $12,000.
Prior to the handing over of the solar freezer, a team from the Ministry of Fisheries also deployed a Fishing Aggregate Device (FAD) in the Teci waters.
In the next few weeks, fishermen will be trained on how to fish around the FAD so that they are able to catch species like Mahimahi, Tuna and Wahoo. Mr Koroilavesau added that this will ease off some pressure from their reef systems and allow resources within the reefs to grow.
“I am also happy that the villagers are also thinking of their future generation in terms of sustainable harvesting of resources from the sea,” he said.
He added that the Ministry of Fisheries will continue to work with coastal communities to meet their food and income needs, while also importantly managing their natural resources.
Mr Koroilavesau said that Government will also continue to explore and pursue options to restore and protect coastal and marine ecosystems.
“This will be crucially important not only as part of a sustainable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, but also for the long term sustainability of resources,” he said. So far, a total of 10 solar freezers have been handed out to communities in Lau, Vanua Levu, Kadavu, Lomaiviti, Tailevu and recently Yasawa.
These are communities that are reliant on fishing for food and income security and who cannot access ice plant services that are provided in 24 stations across Fiji.
The solar freezers are managed by their respective fishermen’s associations who see to its management and upkeep.
Fishermen in these communities have also been empowered with trainings on various technologies like FAD fishing as well as sustainable management of their resources. The ministry has also handed out a total of nine boats and engines in communities in Tailevu, Lau, Kadavu, Lomaiviti and Ra to assist fish wardens in protecting their iqoliqoli (fishing areas) from poachers.
Communities assisted so far have also been able to send in their weekly and monthly catch data to their respective fisheries officers serving in their divisions. Data collected mainly consists of species of fish caught as well as their size and weight. Through data received, the Ministry is able to make informed decisions to sustain and grow the fisheries sector in Fiji.
The ministry believes that partnering with communities is important and is certainly the way forward as we try to adjust to the new normal.