The Fisheries Ministry will for the first time ban the consumption and harvesting as well as the export of Kawakawa and Donu.
This will also come with heavy penalties which has been drafted and currently been put forward to the Solicitor General’s office for verification.
Minister responsible Semi Koroilavesau says the penalties will be a deterrent for those who don’t take these call seriously.
“_Penalties must be sufficient and restrictive enough to stop people from carrying out actions contradicts to the effort of government .The penalties that in existence at the moment for some of our legislation are quiet very small in comparison compare to the income that they can generate by catching and selling these products in the market.”_
A 4FJ campaign is currently in place where more than 8500 people have pledged not to eat, buy or sell kawakawa or donu (grouper) during their spawning season from June through September.
This is to allow these groupers to breed so there is no shortage of fish in the near future.
