June Update - Fiji Marine Project
Added to website: 25 June 2005
Project Brief
Aim
The Fiji Coral Reef Conservation Project is a six-year project (2002-2008) to survey coral reefs of the Mamanuca Islands, the Yasawa Islands and other areas of Fiji. The programme provides training and conservation education opportunities for local Fijians, as part of an integrated programme to develop local capacity and ensure the long-term protection and sustainable use of marine resources throughout the region.
Location
CCC Partners
CCC is working at the invitation of and in partnership with the Government of Fiji, local communities, the Mamanuca Environment Society, the tourism sector and other groups.
Marine Science Programme
Baseline Surveys
Number and location of surveys
Number of transects completed - 7
Reef Check
None
Interesting / Unusual Sightings
Rays have been a regular sighting this month with blue-spotted, common and eagle rays on house, M&M’s, Honeymoon and Vatu Yali, together with a giant reef ray also at Vatu Yali.
To no surprise numerous white tips, black tips and grey reef sharks have been spotted Supermarket as well as Vatu Yali, together with a large pelagic black tip sharks appearing from the deep blue at Supermarket. Black tips and some sizable white tips have been spotted close by on house reef, together with young black tips feeding in the shallows by Fraggle rock. A leopard shark was spotted on a survey at Jim.
Turtles, tend not to be a regular sighting around here, only two green turtles spotted this month, one at Bob and the other on house. As for fish; humphead wrasse and schooling barracuda were seen on rec dives at Supermarket.
Environmental Awareness
Capacity Building/Training of Local Counterparts
The month of June was a diverse cultural experience for this Project Scientist! Part of the PS role is to look for opportunities and new areas within Fiji into which CCC can move. I was fortunate enough to visit the Island of Kadavu on such a mission.
Kadavu is the third largest island in Fiji, located a 30 minute flight south of Viti Levu. Although such a large island, there are no roads on Kadavu. The only method of travel is by boat. Flying into the provincial capital, Vunisea, in an 8 seater light aircraft, I could already see that the island is surrounded by unbelievable coral reef just waiting to be surveyed – indeed, Kadavu is the proud owner of the Great Astrolabe Reef, a guaranteed haven of Manta Rays and sharks. My host for the weekend was a man called Alifereti Tawake, one of our key counter parts in Fiji who works for the Institute of Applied Science at the University of South Pacific in Suva. Tawake is from Kadavu and he offered to put me up in his home village of Daku for the weekend, so that I may see the island, and understand what he is trying to do there. Tawake is a key member of the Fijian Locally Managed Marine Area Network (FLMMA), and is attempting to set up Marine Management Plans within each village in Kadavu. This is where CCC can assist – in the documenting of marine resources that each water district, or iqoliqoli, possess.
Arriving on a Friday evening in Daku village (a small village – only 18 households) I was immediately confronted by perhaps the most hospitable people I have ever met. To celebrate the visit of Tawake back to his home village, his family had decided to throw a Fijian feast – the lovo or ground oven was already underway full of cassava, talo and a whole roasting pig. No sooner had I put my bag down, I was sitting in the kava circle, being handed a bilo (bowl) of yagona (kava, or ‘grog’ as they call it) at the head of the circle: an honour in the most absolute of terms.
The feast included the whole of Tawake’s family and most of the village, including Ratu Josiah (the chief). Tawake’s sisters had made us salu salus (the Fijian equivalent of Hawaiian leis) and again they gave me the honour of sitting at the head of the mat – a seat which I humbly accepted but felt inadequate to fill. Upon hearing about my purpose in visiting his village, Ratu Josiah immediately insisted that I stay in his house, and his lovely wife made sure that I was never so well fed and watered in all my life for the rest of my stay! A highlight of the weekend was also attending church with Ratu Josiah. Getting dressed in my Sunday best (Sulu, shirt and tie) and joining in with the wonderful singing was an experience I shall treasure.
The outcome of this visit has been that CCC have joined forces with IAS and the governmental Fisheries department and are now part of the Kadavu Qoliqoli Management Survey Team. We now have three of our science staff working out of the provincial capital, Vunisea.
My other experience this month might as well have been on a different planet compared to Kadavu! As the most active member of the Mamanucas Environment Society (MES), I was asked to assist their Project Manager, Alifereti Qauqau with a brief assessment of the reef on Celebrity Love Island! Locally known as Bounty Island, it felt strange to be walking around the set of a programme that various volunteers had been telling me about. It reminded me yet again how as a Project Scientist, you never know quite where you may end up on any particular day when working in Fiji: I think this is why I have one of the best jobs I can imagine.
