Help Us Fight Against Illegal Fishing in Our Ocean

Dear Supporters,

We are very proud to work towards the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals to help ‘transform our world.’ On base we try our hardest to work towards all 17 goals, but the  science team in particular takes special pride in working towards the Life Below Water goal. We do this by conducting surveys around the reef in order to provide Moturiki with information regarding the health of their ecosystems and work with the communities to support them in developing a sustainable resource strategy. The information outlined in this report shows the many ways that we strive towards protecting the underwater world and plans to continue to do so for many years to come.

The Republic of Fiji, a fisherman’s oasis and a mountaineer’s sanctuary, home to some of the world’s most gorgeous landscapes and friendliest people, and where we can find one of the clearest examples of human-ocean-dependency. With a vast majority of the country’s population inhabiting the coasts of 110 of the 332 islands, Fiji is a prime example of the services that coral reefs provide to many communities around the world. Whether it be for food and protein supply, income and livelihoods or simply coastal protection, the health of coral reefs ultimately determines the success of surrounding populations. Hereby, reef studies are

essential for Fiji because reefs are of vital importance both ecologically and economically but are threatened because of rapid economic and population growth. Then, it is becoming increasingly important that the rate of development across the islands is managed in a sustainable way so that, in a growing population that is still heavily reliant on marine resources for livelihoods and economic stability, resource security is guaranteed alongside the maintenance of the vast Fijian marine biodiversity. Our Long Term Monitoring Survey Methodology is adapted from the Fiji Locally Managed Marine Areas (henceforth referred to as FLMMA) protocol to conduct marine stock assessments. Adhering to an existing data collecting protocol implies that data is comparable, therefore our data is made available to government departments, non-government agencies and the University of the South Pacific (USP) to be used for marine management policies and conservation.

Fourteen sites were chosen surrounding Caqalai for the Long-Term Monitoring Surveys. These sites were chosen based on topographical features, habitat types present and topographic complexity.

Three depth ranges are surveyed at each site; 0-3m, 3-5m and 8-10m, with a total of 5 transects completed at each depth range (i.e. replicates). Each transect represents a random sample, and for all biotic parameters being assessed an average of the five repeats would be taken for statistical analyses: percentage benthic coverage, fish abundance, size, etc. and invertebrate abundance and diversity.

All GVI surveys are conducted in 4-person teams each with an individual role; (i) Physical surveyor, (ii) Fish surveyor, (iii) Benthic surveyor, and (iv) Invertebrate surveyor. All surveyors operate in buddy pairs and use the same transect line for the survey, although data collection techniques vary slightly.

The long-term monitoring of coral reef health is the core aspect of the Caqalai Marine & Community Conservation project and is adapted from different methods widely utilised for community-lead resource management, both in Fiji and internationally, one of the long term objectives is: 

To present our data periodically to FLMMA, the YMST and the communities of Moturiki to allow them to see trends in the abundance of the target species over time. In addition to work towards creating four locally managed no-take zones (tabus) around Moturiki as the long-term objective of the community-based resource management plan and in keeping with the core objective of securing food security for the communities of Moturiki into the future

The evidence of the support that we have been giving to the inhabitants of Moturiki for the last 5 years have been embodied in 2019 with the recognition of Caqalai as the 11th village of Moturiki. Throughout the work realized in Caqalai research base, the local communities on Moturiki receive a scientific baseline on the state of Caqalai’s pristine coral reefs which can then be used as a model to sustainably manage and utilize the marine resources for the 10 villages. This has been a massive inspiration to our staff and volunteers and demonstrates our commitment to helping the local communities to secure their marine resources for protein and livelihoods alongside the maintenance of marine biodiversity.

Our work could not be accomplished without our supporters and donors, so a huge thank you for all of the support so far. We wish for the continuity of the reef monitoring project around Caqalai for many years to allow contributing such valuable data for the local communities over on Moturiki Island. With the data collected we can better aid the needs for a sustainable asset towards marine resources, provide better understanding to the communities on the importance of monitoring their coral reefs to ensure sustainable practices that will benefit the presence and resilience of their marine resources now and into the future.

With Gratitude,

Caqalai Marine

Dear Supporters,

Our main aim is to work with the community of Moturiki to improve the long-term sustainability of their natural marine resources. Over the last quarter we have made great progress through continuation with our long-term monitoring of the reef around Caqalai and community-led Rapid Habitat Assessments (RHAs) and marine resource management workshops in Moturiki.

The reefs are the main source of protein for the communities that live on the island and therefore are under a great deal of fishing pressure and prone to habitat destruction. To ensure that there are fishing stocks for future generations, the people of Moturiki understand that they must protect certain areas of the reef. To act as a habitat for reef creatures to thrive in, a protected area must fulfil certain criteria, be closed to fishing, and be used in a non-destructive manner. We have helped by collecting data around Caqalai, an area with low fishing pressure, to determine which areas of the reefs of Moturiki are suitable to become Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). 

Between January and March 2020, we have trained 22 volunteers and conducted 53 surveys of the reefs around Caqalai to continue the long-term monitoring of fish, invertebrate and benthic species. A further 18 Dives Against Debris and 8 beach cleans were conducted by volunteers to support the coastal conservation around Caqalai and Moturiki. The data we collect is shared with our partner , Fiji Locally Managed Marine Area (FLMMA) Network who collects all data from around Fiji and uses it to help them monitor and produce reports for the government which assist in implementing policies that help protect the oceans and marine life around Fiji and the South Pacific Islands.

With these actions, we work towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of Life Below Water which is the 14th SDG that aims to sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems.

Our work could not be accomplished without our supporters and donors, so a huge thank you for all of the support so far.

A huge Vinaka Vakalevu from the team here on Caqalai!

Fiji Caqalai Marine