Tui Drola, Resort directors bless Yasawa marine taboo

Tui Drola, Ratu Manasa Naikasowalu and directors of the Nanuya Island Resort have given their blessings on a five-year taboo along the fishing boundary of the Nacula-Based resort.

The event was marked with a solemn ceremony at the resort in Yasawa where the first ever initiative of conserving a marine reserve with landowners was launched last Friday.

The Tui Drola said the traditional taboo was also a good opportunity for the vanua to seriously look at the importance of protecting their iKanakana (fishing ground for villagers sustenance).

“I wish to thank the resort owner and Vinaka Fiji for this initiative,” Ratu Manasa said.

“It will surely help the people of Drola, especially future generations “This has also opened the doors for other districts in the Yasawa Group to follow such methods.” Vinaka Fiji general manager Elenoa Nimacere said the aim was the marine awareness at the community level and marine protection to benefit all villagers.

“The taboo is important to the Yawasa Group of Islands. We cannot look at the environment side of things when we don’t observe the marine life,” Mrs Nimacere said. “I requested our marine and our marine co-ordinator to work on the marine programme.

“Our aim is to start at the community level with marine awareness and even at schools.

“We don’t talk much on the fishes that beautify the corals, but the fish for food because it is important for the islanders and Fiji as a whole. “Our aim is to have a marine protected area for all villages in the Yasawa Group. It has been done at the Naviti tikina and I acknowledge the Tui Naviti for his support. “There are many stories coming from there that fishes they did not see are now coming back and food is in abundance,” she added.

Lautoka district officer Aisea Vularika said this event was just the beginning of conservation in Yasawa for the tourism industry.