“For Fiji Movement”, generally known as 4FJ, is a campaign launched in 2013 by SeaWeb Asia Pacific. It is a movement to protect our way of life. It is about protecting one of Fiji’s depleting fish stocks. Kawakawa and Donu are culturally important to the cultures of Fiji, and are also an important food source and income source for the communities of Fiji. Over the years populations of Kawakawa and Donu are rapidly declining due to overfishing.
Kawakawa and Donu commonly named Groupers are vulrebale to overfishing during their breeding season. With predictable behaviors, Groupers gather in the same spot, at the same time, every year making them an easy catch. In Fiji groupers peak spawning seasons are from June to September. Fishing groupers when in spawning aggregation sites, plunges their population before having a chance to breed. With these knowledge, changing our fishing and eating behaviors is imminent to save groupers population that is now a t a critical state.
The 4FJ Movement seeks to bring together local communities, leaders and even religious groups in Fiji to be part of the movement and to take the pledge; not eat, buy or sell kawakawa or donu (grouper) June through September. Taking the pledge allows the groupers to breed so we can have more fish for the future.
Malolo and Likuliku Lagoon Resorts are the first from the Mamanucas to join the movement and take the pledge. SeaWeb Asia Pacific through the Mamanuca Environment Society have reached out to these Resorts to be part of the 4FJ Movement. Staff and Management from Malolo and Likuliku Resorts began taking the pledge on Monday the 6th of July. MES will take the movement to all its 12 member resorts, creating awareness to one of its important stakeholders to take the pledge and save the Kawakawa and Donu populations in Fiji.
