The oyster farmers battling climate change in Fiji’s troubled seas

Women successful Fiji are often employed successful the informal economy, which means debased and inconsistent pay, with underemployment for them moving arsenic precocious arsenic 74 percent, according to The Asia Foundation. So the women being trained by Ravea are anxious to larn a much lucrative trade.

Gathered successful Vatulele’s bright, turquoise-coloured assemblage hall, Ravea is teaching women however to haul successful the lines, cleanable the oysters, and marque predator nets from heavy-duty integrative to support the oysters from triggerfish and pufferfish. She offers quarterly grooming sessions, welcoming some women and men to larn the oyster nutrient trade.

Around 25 women successful the colony person received grooming successful oyster farming this year. On this time successful mid-July, fractional a twelve women aged 24 to 59 and dressed successful florals and polka dots are crouched implicit rolls of predator nets.

Unaisi Seruwaia, 49, is 1 of the trainees. She antecedently served arsenic caput of Vatulele Yaubula, the village’s assemblage oyster collective, truthful she understands the industry’s potential.

“It’s not casual to unrecorded successful a [Fijian] colony — it’s hard to marque money,” she says, noting that the mean income successful her colony is conscionable 150 to 200 Fijian dollars ($66-88) a week.

“We merchantability vegetables, similar dalo [taro] and yaqona [kava], oregon we look for income from fishing,” she says, adding that immoderate women besides adust coconut meat, weave baskets oregon instrumentality jobs successful shops.

As the upwind becomes much unpredictable, a climate-resistant root of income is much important than ever, says Seruwaia.

Predator nets support oysters harmless from pufferfish [Melonie Ryan/Al Jazeera]

Warnings astir utmost upwind events are raising fears that sportfishing stocks volition diminution further. In March 2025, for example, a clime study predicted that tropical cyclones and utmost floods would summation successful severity successful Fiji, posing adjacent much risks to coastal and marine livelihoods.

The state has lone conscionable recovered from 2016’s Cyclone Winston. The 26-day tempest was the strongest connected grounds successful the Southern Hemisphere, costing an estimated 1.99 cardinal Fijian dollars ($875m) successful damage. The cyclone affected much than fractional of Fiji’s population, sidesplitting 44 radical and causing wide harm and demolition to villages and farmland, peculiarly connected the northbound seashore of the main island, but besides connected the smaller islands.

“Cyclone Winston caused extended harm to coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds — captious habitats that prolong subsistence and small-scale commercialized fisheries,” says Rosi Batibasaga, a WCS fisheries officer.

Coastal villages specified arsenic Vatulele were deed hard, she said: “They faced reduced food availability, destroyed boats and sportfishing gear, and crisp declines successful household income and nutrient security.”

The colony of Vatulele lies connected Vanua Levu's southbound seashore [Melonie Ryan/Al Jazeera]

Vatulele nonmigratory Vive Digiata, 59, enactment it simply: “Before [the cyclone], beingness was easier,” she said. “Fish are becoming smaller, and radical are switching to canned food to supplement their food.”

Illegal sportfishing oregon poaching, often by overseas vessels, meanwhile, besides depletes food stocks on coastal waters and puts endangered species, specified arsenic hawksbill turtles, astatine greater risk.