State of reef and fish population in Fiji

[Liberty01]

Someone told me he was diving in Fiji in November. The numbers of fish had decreased considerably, probably because of illegal fishing (big trawlers). He said the diving there was quite disappointing and it would take a few years for the fish population to recover.

I was planning a trip in August/September to Pacific Harbour and Taveuni.

I wanted to ask about other first-hand experiences of peope who have dived there recently as it is a far way to go.

Cheers,
Liberty

 

[fiji_diver]

Bula, Happy New Year. To answer with any accuracy, we will need to know where your friend was diving. Cyclone Winston in Feb 2016, caused considerable damage to some reefs particularly in the Bligh Waters and the northern areas. classic sites such as E6 were particularly badly hit. South, in Beqa and Kadavu, there was very little damage. I don't think trawlers have a marked effect on reef fish populations but any over fishing will affect the balance of course. There has recently been a ban imposed on the export of live rock which is a positive move for some areas, although it was handled without much regard to those employed in the industry. So see if you can find out which resort, or which locations were visited, and I will try and give you some more accurate feedback.

 

[Liberty01]

Well, he claimed that the school of (pelagic) fish had disappeared due to illegal overfishing. He dived in Beqa Lagoon, I am not sure about the other sites.
Are the dive sites around Taveuni still pristine?
Which places would you recommend for diving?
Cheers,
Liberty

 

[kingsnwings]

I went to Taveuni July 2017. 2 weeks of diving. All the reefs were great and loads of fish.

See trip report and videos I posted

Trip Report: Taveuni, Fiji (Taveuni Ocean Sports)

 

[runsongas]

beqa is heavily advertised by dive shops and also frequently ran by them as a sponsored group trip, but my impression is that it is not in the top areas desirable to dive in fiji.

 

[LoveOceanicGears]

beqa is heavily advertised by dive shops and also frequently ran by them as a sponsored group trip, but my impression is that it is not in the top areas desirable to dive in fiji.

In 2016, two days after cyclone Zena hit Fiji, I arrived Beqa Lagoon for a week of vacation. I am also not impressed.

Visibility was not the best for all dives, probably due to cyclone. There are some interesting fish species I don't see at Caribbean, but not as abundant as the Taveuni videos in above posts. Broken coral litters the sea floor and garbage scatters on the shore. Dive masters and boat crews were also not very professional.

At end of trip, I feel it is not worth twice the amount I pay for a single Caribbean trip.