Waitabu Marine Park

Fiji's Oldest Marine Park

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You are here: Home / News and Events / Sea Cucumber ID cards help sustainable reef management in Fiji

Sea Cucumber ID cards help sustainable reef management in Fiji

Waitabu Marine Park, in the Vanua Bouma of Taveuni Island, is one of the original community-based marine managed areas in Fiji. Started in 1998, Waitabu’s no-take, or “Tabu Vakdua” area, was one of the founder members of the Fiji Locally Managed Marine Areas (FLMMA) network in 2001.

Protected for 15 years, the Tabu Vakadua area is now rich in fish, coral and invertebrate life, and the community has recently started a new project; a temporary closure known as a “Tabu Tara”.

Sea Cucumber ID cards and information sheets in use during trainingThe concept of the Tabu Tara is to close an area of reef neighbouring the long-term Tabu Vakadua, allow marine life to increase in the newly closed area, and then to open it for short term specific harvests. In this way it is hoped to create a form of sustainable “farming” of marine resources, with regular cropping.

Sea Cucumbers have been a trade item in Fiji for 200 years. Unfortunately, in recent times, advancing technology such as SCUBA and Hookah underwater breathing equipment has allowed fishers to go deeper and collect for longer than in the past, resulting in many reefs being completely stripped of these important reef cleaners. Without Sea Cucumbers to eat rotting plant and animal material, the sea bed soon becomes covered in dirt and detritus, and corals eventually become unhealthy and die. When corals are in poor http://hesca.net/ritalin/ health, all life on the reef suffers.

In Waitabu’s Tabu Tara, the community has started to count and study their Sea Cucumber populations, so that a sustainable harvest can be decided upon, which will eventually allow them to regularly take a certain amount of cucumbers, while enough are left to breed and re-stock the reef

If this is to work, it is important for community member to understand Sea Cucumber biology and lifecycles, so that they can make informed decisions about harvesting frequency and size. During the recent annual Tabu area surveys between 11 and 16 February 2013, a training session on Sea Cucumbers was held.

Participants from four of the Vanua Bouma communities; Waitabu, Wai, Korovou and Lavena, learned about the lifecycle of Sea Cucumbers in general from information sheets complied by the Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMA) network, and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), and to identify specific species using a set of waterproof cards provided by SPC.

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A survey of Sea Cucumber numbers, species, and size was then carried out over both the long-term Tabu Vakadua and the new temporary Tabu Tara areas.

While many Sea Cucumbers were found in both areas, they were noticeably larger in the long-term Tavu Vakadua than in the Tabu Tara.

The community was advised that many of the Sea Cucumbers in the Tabu Tara were as yet below optimal breeding size, and that surveys should continue until they equaled the size of those found in the Tabu Vakadua, at which time a controlled harvest could be taken as past of the sustainable management of their marine resources.

A set of Sea Cucumber ID cards was given to each of the four communities involved to aid in future surveys, for which we are very grateful to the SPC.

Sea Cucumber ID cards

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Visiting The Park

You have two options to visit the park.

One is the F$75 Cultural Experience Tour (includes Refreshments,Entertainments & Bilibili Ride) or for those travelling on a light budget, the F$50 Snorkeling Tour. You can save F$5 per person for groups of 4 or more.
Visits should be arranged in advance, please call 679-820-1999 or 679-930-4588

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Traditional Nuqa harvest at Waitabu signifies a peaceful and harmonised Vanua!

There is a saying in Waitabu that if everything is alright in the community, the nuqa will appear. When they do, there is a ritual called “ta nuqa” (literally, fetching nuqa) performed at the beach to catch these tiny animals.

Thesis: Vanua as Environment: Conservation, Farming, and Development in Waitabu, Fiji

Vanua as Environment: Conservation, Farming, and Development in Waitabu, Fiji by Hao-Li Lin, BA, Anthropology, National Taiwan University, 2004 Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Defended and approved on March 16th, 2015

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Welcome to Waitabu Marine Park

Arrive in the tree-adorned island of Taveuni to discover a tropical paradise you’ve only dreamed about. Slip on your fins and mask and slide into the warm waters of Fiji. Let all the stress of everyday life fall away as you make your way along the magical reef of Waitabu.

The communities of Waitubu and Bouma came to protect their native fishing grounds in 1998. Their foresight and diligence has allowed visitors, like yourself, the opportunity to share in the beauty of the Waitabu Marine Park. These crystal-clear waters are home to the most amazing marine species you may ever see. Don’t be too surprised when you pass a sea turtle or find yourself following a gentle ray. You know you’re in paradise when you’ve landed in the Waitabu Marine Park.

Wake up and see the beautiful sunrise over the marine park as the start of every new day begins in Waitabu

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About Us

In 1998 the Waitabu Village of Taveuni declared its fishing grounds or "qoliqoli" to be "tabu" -- a no-take fishing zone. NZAID initially supported the designation with funds for biological surveys and administration. The Wainileli and the Bouma qoliqoli, were continually and heavily overfished, resulting in small fish stocks and damaged coral. Through the continuous drive of community members and non-governmental agencies, the region is now celebrating a healthy and abundant reef for the past 20 … Read More >>

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