Imagine

Floyd Robinson, Suva

Imagine a Christmas without alcohol and Kava? What would it be like?  Whatever ones views, enjoy the drinks, but don’t forget that there is always tomorrow.

Lost sea life

Simon Hazelman, Savusavu

The beautiful Southern coastline of Vanua Levu faces the oncoming Southeasterly tradewinds and for the most part of the year for most of the years that I’ve lived here, we’ve experienced constant winds with waves crashing on our outer reefs bringing with it all kinds of blessings of sea life that came riding in on fresh ocean currents. Our inner reefs, lagoons and coastlines were thriving with an abundance of seafood.

As a young boy, standing in ankle-deep water on our family beach, it wouldn’t take me long to haul in a good number of decent-sized trevally and emperor fish with a simple hand line.

Occasionally, I would take home a string of mullet that I would catch with my homemade, hand-held, 5-pronged spear. Putting food on the table was certainly no daunting task, but was an enjoyable and rewarding experience back then!

On the reef I’d gather lobsters and crabs while on the fringes of the outer reef I dove for surgeon fish, parrotfish, unicorn fish and spinefoot to name a few. These would cook real nice and juicy over an open fire and it would be eaten with our famous local dip made of a combination of the juice of a few lemons, a couple of pinches of salt with bush chillies added, crushed to taste, into the mix. That for us, as simple as it sounds, was a full meal!

I clearly recall our inner reefs having an over abundance of edible crustaceans, bivalves, seaweeds, sea cucumbers and sea urchins. These were often served as main meals or as accompaniments to other meals.

I guess that the point I’m trying to make here is that there was so much food and in so much abundance that we never ever had the need to over fish and neither did we ever think that one day, in our very own lifetime, today, we’d be scrounging for seafood that was just a few years ago in so plentiful supply.

Back in the day, we’d walk home with our catch hanging proudly down our backs for all the world to see!

We’d have enough for ourselves and enough to share with those who didn’t find the time to go out. These days, people take home what they catch hidden in sacks and when asked if they had caught any fish and what fish they had caught the common reply is, “No fish! Sa drava (The sea is naked, stripped of its spoils)! All we caught was a big sega (nothing)!”

Its easy to see why we are facing such issues. I can say without a doubt that commercialisation and the non-existence of sustainable fishing practices has ravaged our reefs. Fishermen are now returning with juvenile fish and crustaceans. We are not giving our marine resources the time they need to grow to adult sizes to be able to reproduce.

We are literally wiping them out! Our Southeasterly tradewinds and currents can no longer keep up!

We are faced with a very real situation for which the solution may come too late!

We are faced with a situation where when we tell our little ones tales of the oceans, they will ask, “What’s that?”

Christmas wishes

Wise Muavono, Lautoka

The Christmas season is meant to bring hope and peace to everyone. On Jesus birthday don’t forget to give Jesus a gift. What does he want ?

The scriptures say, “As you have done the least of these, so also have you done unto me.” So Jesus would want you to give unto the least of these. That is those who have little or nothing.

This Christmas, give something to someone who needs it. Feed the hungry. Clothe the naked. Show love to the lonely.

Blessings go forward. God bless you and have a Merry Christmas.

Lights at last

Shariff Shah, Savusavu

To our very good and the greatest Attorney-General of all time.

Vinaka to you sir. You are heavenly sent for most of us and certainly for the koroipita community . Your actions speak  louder than the words itself. You and your family are richly blessed …in every prayers, every day, by every life that you have touched. “You are the greatest”.

Feedback:  jyotip@fijisun.com.fj