Man-made reef systems known as Fishing Aggregating Devices (FAD) are being used by Coastal communities to take the fishing concentration off the reef.

Minister for Fisheries, Semi Koroilavesau says the device attracts small fishes which in turn attracts migrating fishes like the Pakapaka, Mahimahi, Walu, Wahoo and Tuna, which the villagers can catch.

Koroilavesau says using the device allows the reef system to re-stock.

The good thing about FADs is that they (the villagers) don’t have to look far to get the fish. If you see when we put a FAD down, a month later you will see a congregation of birds on the FAD because the birds are actually attacking the small fish that are coming to breed on the device. It’s the same thing the migratory fish come to hunt for their own food.”

The Qoliqoli Committee in each villages then keeps record of the type of fish the villagers catch from the FAD and the quantity.

By doing this, the Qoliqoli Association, they provide us the data.  In return for what we doing, we are asking them – give us the data… How many and what type of fish you catch every day? That will help us do stock assessment within their reef system.

The initiative is being successfully used in Kadavu and Lomaiviti and just recently in Lau.

Coastal communities along Buca Bay and Kioa are also using it now.

Around 60 to 100 FADs were deployed by the Ministry of Fisheries last year alone.