“WE don’t want foreigners exploiting our seas,” said Tui Moala Ratu Irivi Draunidalo as he raised concerns over the increasing foreign fishing activity around Moala Island.
He said the presence of ‘outside’ vessels was putting pressure on the island’s marine resources and livelihoods.
Attending the week long exchange visit under Conservation Internatioina’s Large Marine Seascape Program, Ratu Irivi told this newspaper the people of Lau relied heavily on marine resources.
“We have only a small portion of land, but the ocean is what we rely on,” he said.
“They will come in their big boats and scare the fish. This is what I’ve heard.”
Ratu Irivi said Moala’s communities were advocating for stronger rights and protections through government partnerships and local initiatives, especially under the Lau Seascape initiative.
“For us, with the help of the Government, to have more rights, I think it will help the people.
“Likewise, the Fiji Government, there will be benefits on both sides.
“Instead of people from outside making use of our surrounding marine areas without our understanding, we need to be involved in what can help us.”
He noted that foreign vessels had been sighted frequently in Lau waters.
“They have seen the vast resources that the Lauan people have.”
Access to these marine areas, Ratu Irivi said, was often facilitated through government-issued permits, but local communities were increasingly looking to initiatives like the Lau Seascape with Conservation International (CI) to establish better protection and stewardship over their waters.
“As from what we have done, Lau’s Seascape, we are trying to use this as an umbrella that will protect us, our marine areas.
“Likewise, the other provinces in Fiji can also follow.”
He acknowledged ongoing partnerships, including with CI and the support of grassroots movements like the Green Alliance to restore marine ecosystems.
“We want to recover as many corals as we have lost. Our main source is the sea.
