Fiji’s overfished reefs need protection Before it's too late!
FIJI’S reefs are badly overfished. A spawning potential survey undertaken by scientists of the USP and NGOs in cooperation with the government has come to the conclusion that half of the most commonly 29 fished species in Fiji’s waters are below a reproduction rate
The survey showed that 14 of 29, are below the international reference point below which fish populations are expected to collapse.
This means that whole species are disappearing from Fijian reefs. The survey has been on going since 2014.
No fish no reef, no reef no fish
A reef cannot survive without the fish living on it. Whenever coral is damaged by pollution or bleaching (due to overly warm water in summer), algae and seaweed start growing on the weak coral.
At this stage the reef needs herbivorous (plant-eating) fish to keep it clean, so the coral can recover and new coral can grow.
A recent study done by Georgia Tech University found that fish and coral spawn are attracted by the scent of healthy reefs while repelled by the smell of water from damaged coral.
Meaning that there is basically a point of no return after which a reef will not recover despite the installation of protected areas. The key is that a reef needs the fish that populate it to keep it clean, just as the fish need the shelter of the coral.
This mutual dependency means that overfishing can cause coral collapse, as fishermen often target the herbivorous fish that remove the seaweed and algae that sprouts in damaged reefs.
As soon as seaweed is dominating a reef, a tipping point can occur where coral growth is choked and new corals cannot settle.
Modern technology to fish for export
With the reefs around the main islands nearly empty, fishing boats venture out to remoter islands.
At the same time the export from those islands has increased as newly installed solar panel arrays and diesel generators make it possible for the islanders to store fish and export large amounts to the mainland.
Awareness for the need to protect the environment and its resources is slowly growing in Fiji, but sustainability remains an abstract concept to many.
“God will provide,” the fishermen say and blame climate change and pollution with a helpless shrug instead of trying to do their share to protect the reefs.
While the ocean provided for centuries to the islanders who were doing subsistence fishing (and farming), modern fishing techniques (especially night-diving with torches) and export deplete the resources of a small island within a few years.
Reefs have very limited resources and cannot provide enough fish for a profit-orientated economy.
Tabu areas for sustainable fishing
To fight this, villages are installing Tabu no-fishing zones on the iqoliqoli, but most are unfortunately only short-term: a ban for six months to two years and afterwards the fishermen go out for one big harvest that leaves the reef empty again.
To be effective, a tabu needs to be permanent, or at least long-term. The idea is not to let the fish grow and then fish them out, but to let them grow and spawn within a permanent tabu, so that the overflow from this area can permanently repopulate the rest of the reef.
Long-term good fishing in the vicinity of the tabu is guaranteed by the big, adult “superbreeders” in the protected zone.
Matuku (Lau) has just installed a big, five-year tabu (sponsored by Tradewind Marine) that is meant to become permanent.
The tabu covers 4km from shore to the outer reef, so it is big enough that the fish won’t just swim out of the protection and it includes mangrove, shallow reef, deep reef to protect all life cycles of a species.
“Ovisa patrol the area to keep illegal fishermen out,” said Cama Ilaita, representative of Matuku and member of the Tabu committee explains.
“We hope that other islands will follow our example and protect the reefs for the next generation, for the future.”
Optional Infobox parrotfish
Parrot fish spend their days feeding on algae and therefore they ensure that corals are not smothered by seaweed, and that open spaces are left for new coral larvae to settle.
People used to think that they were damaging the reef by bit
ing off chunks of live coral, but actually their constant nibbling stimulates reefs to grow at a faster pace.
Many countries have regulations about the minimum size of fish species that are legal to catch, but that may even be counterproductive as a recent study shows: in an experiment differently sized openings allowed fish of three different sizes entry to enclosed coral patches.
In those enclosures where neither large nor medium sized parrotfish had access, the algae grew ten times faster!
The larger fish, that are mostly targeted by fisheries, are the ones that keep the algae at bay.