Even though it gave him tragedy
INOKE Nabulivou dives for beche-de-mer (sea cucumber) for a living. Scouring the depths in the Suva harbour in waters close to his village of Waiqanake is how he puts food on the table for his family.
When the government imposed a ban on the sea delicacy in 2017, it affected divers whose sole livelihood was centered around the collection and sale of beche-de-mer.
The 27-year-old father-of-two said since the lifting of the ban on July 1, he has been busy diving the depths, hunting for sasalu – the indigenous name for aluable and edible marine resources.
“My village is just across the Suva harbour and our qoliqoli is very rich with all types of sasalu,” Mr Nabulivou said.
He spent three days a week collecting beche-demer and once he had amassed enough, he would take them to a middleman who was licensed to sell the delicacy. Mr Nabulivou said the sea had provided him and his family sustenance for many years.
“Before going into the sasalu business, I worked on a fishing vessel for two years and I travelled around quite a big part of the Pacific Ocean.
“It was really tough but I had to work hard because of my two children and my wife's needs.”
He said after two long years on the fishing vessel he decided to return home and to look for something that would allow him to be close to his family.
“I started diving for fish around our village fishing grounds with fellow villagers and earned good money selling them in town and to middlemen.”
Mr Nabulivou said the sea was also where he witnessed tragedy. He said one night, while out fishing with a villager, Mr Nabulivou surfaced and found him missing.
“He has never been found until today, and it is a real mystery because all his fishing gear was found. That was one of the worst experiences I have been through while diving at sea.”
Mr Nabulivou said he continues to dive until and every time he nears the spot where his friend disappeared, he would pause and offer up a silent prayer for him.
At the moment, the Waiqanake man said he was focused on collecting and selling as much beche-de-mer as he could.
“The price is really good at the moment, so I want to get as much as I can so I can buy new sets of diving gear.
“All the boys in my village are happy they can engage in this business again because apart from feeding our families and meeting their needs, we also have traditional and church obligations.
“And this trade allows us to meet all these things.”
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