The lifting of the sea cucumber ban was not backed by a special budget allocation, Fisheries Minister Alitia Bainivalu says.
She said the operation was funded through the ministry’s existing coastal fisheries development program.
“We did not have a specific budget for the lifting of the ban, but we had a budget under our coastal fisheries development program,” she said.
Ms Bainivalu said the next six months would focus on monitoring and management to ensure sustainable harvesting.
Sea cucumber, or beche-de-mer, require a special licence under the normal licensing process. While there are delays in processing new applications, fishermen awaiting approval may use their valid licences from last year.
Licences are issued to registered members of recognised yavusa and traditional fishing grounds, with consideration also given to spouses who have served their communities.
The minister confirmed receiving complaints from fishermen regarding buying prices and said these were being addressed with relevant officers.
