About 11,000 tonnes of fish is caught annually to be sold on the domestic market, states the Ministry of Fisheries Annual Report 2021-2022 that was tabled in Parliament last week.
The ministry said in the report a recent study showed that 70 per cent of the coastal fish caught from northern Vanua Levu was marketed in Suva.
“The coastal commercial fisheries of Fiji involve fishing in lagoons, reefs, deep slopes, and in nearby open ocean waters,” stated the report.
“Most boats involved in these fisheries are less than nine metres in length, but some of the fishing does not make use of a vessel.”
The ministry said coastal fisheries used many different kinds of gear, like lines, nets, spears and traps to harvest a very diverse range of finfish, invertebrates, and algae.
“Estimating the amount of catch in Fiji’s coastal fisheries is extremely difficult due to hundreds of landing sites and thousands of fishers, but it is thought to be about 11,000 tonnes per year.
“Most of the landings are for the domestic markets, but some high-value species, such as snappers and lobsters, are exported.
“The domestic flow of the coastal commercial catch around the country is considerable; a recent study showed that 70 per cent of the coastal fish from northern Vanua Levu is marketed in Suva.”
