The Fisheries of Fanga'uta

Fanga'uta is home to a large variety of fishes including species associated with lagoons, sandy areas, coral reefs, seagrass beds and mangroves. It is a place rich in habitats and diversity of species and produces many tonnes of fishes, shellfish, jellyfish and crustaceans each year. But the fished populations are now under stress, and the catches are getting less and the fishes smaller each year. The purpose of this newsletter is to explore some of the reasons why this might be happening.