Is Fiji In Greater Decline Than Other Dive Spots?

[Lp]

Hi SB

After returning from 10 days on the Great Astrolabe I noted significant decrease in fish population from my trip there 10 years ago. It was dramatic to say the least. I did not see 1 lobster for the entire trip, only a handful of the larger palaegic (ie 4 Maceral & 2 Barracudas), some average sized white tip reef sharks, 3 small turtles, few cod or wrasses and only a 5 larger ones in the Passage. And I swear, everything appeared scared of us. More surprising was the lack of little angels, butterflies, banner fish (etc).

On my last trip 10 years earlier (exact same time of year) it was incredible, huge schools of tuna, big oceanic silvertip sharks, close encounters, barracudas all over the place, lobsters under every other ledge - you get the idea. The coral seemed just as healthy in most sites (some sites ruined by Cyclone Mitch a few years ago) but otherwise, appeared good to my untrained eye.

This was my first time diving the same location from my early days of diving and I remember Kadavu being "Amazing". In fact on a trip to Raja Ampat two years ago i was slightly "dissapointed" compared to my amazing trip to Kadavu.

Keeping in mind that we were diving 1 week after Cyclone Evan, albeit a long way away from where the eye of that storm tracked, have i got rose tinted glasses to the Fiji of yesteryear or has Fiji been affected by overfishing (or something else?) more than other areas in the world?

Thanks, LP

 

[cbm32]

Other than the manta rays I wasnt blown away by Kadavu....but then we only got out side the reef once while I was there due to the conditions.

I found diving the the Lomavita group of islands and even near the end of the Yasawa chain much better.

 

[shutsal]

Spent a week diving in the Rainbow Reef in May and I was surprised by the lack of pelagic life there. Saw no rays, 1 very scared turtle, and the only lobsters we saw were the house reef in Taveuni. We did see some schools of barracuda and jacks, but I was very surprised by the lack of other life. Based on the reaction of the turtle my worry was they were being hunted.

I went there with the full intention of just enjoying the soft corals, which did not disappoint. But it seems like the perfect ecosystem for the other type of life.

 

[greylion]

When I dived the Bligh waters off the Naia a year ago the reefs had many large pelagics on them and the soft corals were nothing short of spectacular. I also spent a week on Taveuni and the coral was great but the large pelagics were few and far between. There is definitely more fishing pressure around Taveuni, so i guess it depends on where you go in the Fiji area, let's face it, with 365 islands Fiji covers a big area.

 

[cbm32]

I saw plenty of large pelagics everywhere but turtles were indeed scarce and didnt hang around. One of the Fijians, cant remember which one or which island I was on when I was told this, said that the islanders do indeed hunt and harvest turtles.