A project aimed at improving the lives of villagers along the North Western coast of Viti Levu has been launched today at Vitawa Village in Ra.
The project to raise milkfish by villagers of Vitawa was the result of studies undertaken that attested to the remarkable decrease of coastal fisheries resources in Fiji and the region as well.
Director Fisheries Sanaila Naqali said the project was established in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency or JICA.
“The project was proposed due to the increase in population and food security has become a major issue not only for Fiji but for our neighbouring Pacific nations,” he said.
“The decrease of coastal fisheries resources meant that people living along the coasts of North Western Viti Levu are also suffering as most of their fishing grounds have suffered from over fishing and the illegal use of dynamites with we deemed a major contributing factor to the demise of fisheries in the area,” he adds.
The project according to Mr. Naqali will be the first community based milkfish farm to be established in Vitawa Village.
Mr. Naqali adds that a model set of techniques has been used in the project adopting an extensive and environmental friendly way in pond construction techniques.
“It will provide villagers with simple production techniques for utilizing unexploited marine resources in non arable land along tidal flats around Vitawa,” he said.
“The project will be for the future benefits of the young generation of Vitawa Village and contribute to an improved livelihood of the villagers by increasing their income generating power and promote better a food source for the villagers,” Mr Naqali said.
“The direct beneficiaries are the villagers of Vitawa however close to 30 villages in the North West of Viti Levu are potential beneficiaries and the project envisioned to contribute in terms of sustainable fish supply and an improvement of livelihood for over 100,000 people the expected population for the region in the future,” he adds .
“It would also contribute by preventing coastal resources from being over-fished, empower the villagers to activate their life and contribute in capacity development of the Fisheries Department.”
The milkfish project will be administered by the Fisheries Department in the next 3 years from August 2009 to August 2011 and funding amounts to a total of US $200,000.
The project is jointly implemented by the Fisheries Department, Aquaculture International Co. Ltd. (FAI) and NPO JECK Associates (a group of Ex-JICA experts in Kanagawa Prefecture) of Japan particularly in association with the Ex-JICA trainees who have served with the Fisheries Department.
The implementation of the project will also see the setting up of a commercial based operation which will be assisted by a milkfish expert from a South-East Asian country to ease the technical transfer of knowledge.
Vitawa Village’s milkfish project will also assist in establishing a collaborative working relation with JICA’s experts and senior volunteers at USP as well as local Non-Government Organisation’s.
The project was officially launched by Mr Juichiro Sasaki the Resident Representative of JICA in Fiji at 11 o’ clock today.