Despite a campaign to stop the sale and consumption of kawakawa and donu, commonly known a grouper, they are still available in markets.

The Fiji Sun has been able to confirm that the two species of fish are still being caught, sold and consumed despite a campaign run by environmental non-government organisations to stop the practice because the fish are in their spawning season.

Asked if the campaign was successful, the executive director of SeaWeb Asia Pacific, Scott Radway, if the pledge was successful, he said – “So when you ask if the pledge and the campaign are successful, I would respond that it has been phenominally successful in engaging people around taking action on this critical issue.”

He added – “We have created immense attention and a discussion of the decline of kawakawa and donu and the solution, of giving them a break during spawning season.”

Mr Radway said they had seen a lot of people passionately come out in support of this campaign, but it would take more time to remove them from the markets.

He said they needed to keep engaging their networks and spreading the message, so everyone could participate in this movement.

“We have not reached all the people yet,” Mr Radway said.

He said they would continue to engage fish sellers and fishermen and were getting pledges to stop the sale and consumption of the fish from fishermen, restaurants, hotels and supermarkets.

A fish seller in Laqere who wanted to remain anonymous said people loved to eat kawakawa and donu and he was getting his supplies from Vanua Levu.

He said he was not aware of the 4J campaign against the sale of the fish.

Permanent Secretary for Fisheries and Forests Inoke Wainiqolo told the Fiji Sun that he saw kawakawa and donu on sale at the Nausori Market.

He said he told the fish sellers about of the 4J campaign for people not to eat or sell the two types of fish, adding that the ministry was fully supportive of the   campaign.

He said most of the kawakawa and donu were from Vanua Levu.

Mr Radway said they were also engaging communities through Fisheries Department and iTaukei Affairs outreach and NGO partnerships.

He said they were working with Fisheries Department to create forums for fishermen and fish sellers, so they could work through this issue and remove the fish from the markets.

He said they were confident fish sellers would start to make the pledge because this campaign benefited them the most because they would have more and bigger fish to sell.

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