The 4FJ Fish Smart campaign hit the road in December to bring the message to more than 330 fish sellers across Viti Levu as part of a private sector engagement program run with the Ministry of Fisheries.
The program is designed to share Fiji’s legal minimum sizes to promote compliance with Fiji fishing regulations, and also open a dialogue to best understand the needs and challenges of fish sellers in Fiji, including the best way to support an ongoing dialogue.
As part of the visits, fish sellers were also surveyed to gauge awareness of the legal minimum sizes, the health of Fiji’s fisheries, changes over time to availability, size and price, and what they believed were potential drivers of overfishing. Fifty surveys have been completed so far.
“The feedback was very positive from fish sellers about engaging in a national dialogue about the health of our fishing grounds and ways to increase catches and improve availability of fish for fish sellers,” said Mafa Qiolele, the program manager for cChange Pacific, the organisation that created the 4FJ campaign.
“But this is just the start, we will head to Vanua Levu next, and keep growing this movement. Sellers have a vested interest in sustainable fisheries management, so there is a lot of common ground, and a strong desire to work together,” Qiolele said.
The campaign team visited fish sellers, hotels, restaurants, supermarkets and local stores in Lami, Suva, Nasinu, Nausori, Navua, Sigatoka, Nadi, Lautoka, Ba, Tavua, Rakiraki and Korovou.
The engagement program follows a survey conducted by cChange in August to understand general awareness of legal minimum sizes, and if at all, whether people knew the correct legal minimum sizes. The survey found that while two-thirds of people know that Fiji has legal minimum sizes, only 11% could correctly name on correct legal size for a fish.
Fish sellers were showed draft posters, and booklets to promote compliance and feedback was positive. cChange is working to finalise the tools now and ideally share them in the new year.
Photo captions: Mesulame Kuiladra speaking with street food sellers about the campaign; Mesu Kuiladra speaking with fish sellers to middlemen at a Nadi fish market, Bar Belle in Suva pledge and support our campaign, Private Sector Outreach Team (left to right) - Mesulame Kuiladra (cChange) , Viliame Daunivalu (Fisheries Officer: Lami), Ulamila Navuni (Fisheries Officer: Nadi), Ministry of Fisheries Driver, Marama Bulamaibau( 4FJ volunteer), Mafa Wilson (cChange), Taina ( 4FJ volunteer).
The private sector outreach program is funded through Oceans 5 and Bloomberg Philanthropies Vibrant Oceans Initiative and is being implemented in partnership with cChange, Wildlife Conservation Society Fiji, Fiji Locally-Managed Area Marine Network, Conservation International, and International Union for the Conservation of Nature.