Minister for Fisheries Alitia Bainivalu has confirmed that the ministry has received reports of dead fish along several coastal areas, warning that the incident mirrors patterns seen before Cyclone Winston and highlights the growing impacts of climate change on Fiji’s marine environment.
“I want to inform our people about reports received by the Ministry of Fisheries of dead fish found along some coastal areas,” Ms Bainivalu said.
She said communities along the Nasegai coastline, extending to the Nabukelevu I ra district in Kadavu, reported dead reef fish washed ashore during the first week of February, with photographic evidence provided to the ministry.
“We have also received information from Reef Explorer Fiji director Victor Bonito that similar fish kills were seen along parts of the Coral Coast in the Western Division,” Ms Bainivalu said.
“Dr Bonito also confirmed that some shallow reefs in these areas are experiencing severe coral bleaching.”
According to information shared with the ministry, a series of very low tides over the past week led to unusually warm seawater in some locations.
“In some places, water temperatures rose very high,” Ms Bainivalu said.
“This reduces oxygen levels in the water and can cause fish and other marine life to die.”
She noted that similar incidents were reported prior to Cyclone Winston in 2016.
“This shows that our reefs and fish are on the front line of climate change,” she said.
Ms Bainivalu said the Ministry of Fisheries is now conducting further investigations and physical assessments to determine the cause of the fish kills.
“I urge coastal communities to continue reporting any sightings of dead fish to the Ministry,” she said.
She also issued a strong public health warning.
“For health and food safety reasons, please do not eat dead fish, do not sell them, and do not feed them to animals,” Ms Bainivalu said.
To help safeguard fisheries in the long term, she said the ministry continues to support mangrove planting along Fiji’s coastlines.
“Mangroves help cool coastal waters and protect marine life,” she said.
“This work supports the national tree-planting programme led by the Ministry of Forestry, which aims to plant 30 million trees over 15 years to fight climate change and protect our environment.”
“We must work together to protect our oceans, our food sources, and our future,” Ms Bainivalu said.
