This is one fishy editorial

Written by Cherelle Jackson
Thursday, 13 March 2008
Some twenty odd years ago the only thing the village of Safua would fight over was the catch of the day from the Tautai fishing boat that docked by the village pool. Today, they also fight about frozen pork and a tightly sealed can of the infamous elegi if not good old corned beef. Despite the variety of meats, packaged, pre marinated, pre cooked, pre mashed and pre everything, fish will always be a stable, will always be on the mats and tables in front of any Samoan elder, at any given Sunday or day, it may be in between the stir fry and the fried chicken but the fish will still be there, and will remain the fixture at family dining’s all over Samoa. A few weeks ago, I “accidentally” stumbled upon my Aunty Silauleleis place just as they were serving the family to’onai at Vaivase. Ok, so perhaps the stumble was premeditated, but any self respecting Samoa will tell you, that well, everyone has done that at some point. Yes, some relatives specialize in the art of “stumbling” to another’s house just in time for a good feed. In my defense, well, there’s none really, I was hungry. But that’s beside the point. Non-Fisherman After politely refusing the offer, enough times to seem disinterested, the writer finally smiled, blamed them for being persistent said thank you and sat down unashamedly participating in Auntys family to’onai. What was served up was an amazing mixture of modern day to the traditional Samoan toonai, it looked delicious. Unsurprisingly the fish was the most popular dish at the table, even the children pushed the fried chicken aside to reach for the tasty fish. “So Uncle, where did you get the fish,” I asked. His daughter laughed and teased that the old man had spent all morning out at the aau (reef) to catch the delicious meal. “Yeah the reef is known as the Fish Market,” Uncle said, to which the whole family laughed. The proud non-fisherman then sighed and said: “I was lucky to get the good fish at a good price, they’re getting smaller and getting more expensive.” As he said that, the writer could not help but wonder if the sigh was shared by thousands of others, but rather real fishermen around the country. At the local fish market, on the main trading day, Sunday morning it is not exactly booming. Expensive fish A Newsline reviewer last week reported that although the shelves were loaded with fish there were not many buyers. According to the reviewer a yellow fin tuna which used to cost $15.00 to $20.00 is now valued at a whopping $40.00 tala. “You can totally understand why people aren’t buying,” the Reviewer said. There is a fish shortage in Samoa, and according to Principle Fisheries Officer Pouvale Iumalo Fainuulelei it is not just Samoa facing the issue, but the whole region. Illegal fishing in the form of large scale commercial fishing vessels is contributing greatly to the depletions of fish stocks in the region. As part of the curbing methods the New Zealand Air Force conducts some pretty stringent aerial surveys of Samoas oceans to monitor activities. Standing inside the Orion on Monday it was hard to believe that such a vessel could contribute to protecting the oceans of the Pacific, and the fish. But it has for the last 20 or so years and will continue to do so according to Wing Commander Logan Cudby. The routine fisheries patrol has been fairly low key in the last few years, but the cause that it aims to achieve is noble and needs no hiding. After all when food is involved we here in Samoa are all too happy to embrace it. But on a serious note the collaborative efforts between Pacific Governments through the Forum Fisheries Association needs to be applauded, for their efforts ensure the protection of not just the integrity of our region but also the livelihoods of our people. Good Fishing Samoa! Comments (1) Subscribe to this comment's feed no is not written by emo, March 13, 2008 Teasing!! Good work..cheers Write comment Name Email Title Comment

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