As of June 1, the Ministry of Fisheries is calling on Fijians to comply with the national seasonal ban on kawakawa and donu.
In a statement, the Ministry of Fisheries says the Government had placed the seasonal ban on the harvesting, selling, buying, possession and exporting of the kawakawa and donu fish species, back in 2018.
The is due to the depleting population of the A-grade fish over the years.
Minister for Fisheries Kalaveti Ravu said that: “We owe it to all Fijians to ensure that we don’t lose these culturally and commercially important fish. We ask everyone to do their part and protect them.”
“Save them now, have more later… It’s that simple,” he added.
According to the Ministry of Fisheries, close to 80 per cent of Fiji’s known kawakawa and donu breeding sites are either declining or have died out.
A survey was done following the first seasonal ban which showed a very high level of support for the ban, with 85 percent saying they supported it, according to change, the organisation that coordinates the campaign for the Ministry.
The Ministry warns that hefty penalties will be imposed if Fijians are found fishing these two species.
The ban will end in September.
