Monitoring and surveillance

FISHERIES Minister Semi Koroilavesau’s statement that lockdowns have resulted in reduced capacity for effective monitoring, control and surveillance of fishing activities around the country is questionable (FT 05/04).

While COVID-19 may have affected work by fisheries officers to do their job properly, the monitoring, control, and surveillance I believe was always lacking over the past two-three decades. The depletion of fish stocks and other seafood both inshore and in the open ocean is evident of this lack of control by our fisheries department.

I believe nets, night spear fishing, the use of duva (root poison), and diving tanks, are still in constant use. The damage done to our inner reefs are a nightly affair causing enormous long term damage to our reef systems and fish stocks.

It’ll be interesting to know;

 How many fisheries officers are employed by the department who actually go out on surveillance to monitor and control?

 How many cases does each officer get to deal with each month? and

 How many people get charged every month? This will give us a good indication on how well or bad we are doing.

I believe what’s lacking most of all is the availability of resources to aid officers to do their job efficiently and effectively.

I have never seen or heard of fisheries officers patrolling our coastlines here in Savusavu at night when all these prohibited activities are taking place. One can only imagine the huge scale of damage over all other parts of Fiji?

What we require now is an assessment of the effectiveness of monitoring, control, and surveillance of illegal fishing around the country, and to make the necessary changes, in order to save our fisheries.

SIMON HAZELMAN

Rava Estate, Savusavu