Illegal fishing will not be tolerated in Nacula waters in Yasawa, says district spokeswoman Lavenia Naivalu.

She said villagers from the district had been undergoing fish warden training to ensure their traditional fishing grounds were protected.

“It’s something that we are very passionate about because we are trying to ensure we have a sustainable marine resource that will not only cater for our people, but for our future generations,” she said.

“So, we have to take a very proactive approach so that we are able to empower people in taking ownership of their resources.”

Ms Naivalu said after the COVID-19 pandemic, people heavily relied on their natural resources when they were out of work.

“We saw during that difficult period, we went back to our land and to our sea to search for food.

“And we saw the importance of maintaining these resources because it became our lifeline when we needed it the most.

“Now that things are getting back to normal, we still want to maintain that part of our community.

“We are carrying out programs that are encouraging villagers to cultivate their land and we are also looking to the sea to ensure we protect it for our people.”