Traditional practice of tabu – marking a portion of fishing ground off limits – is helping preserve Fiji’s reefs for future generations

Mosese Vesikaraand his uncle, Kinikoto Mailautoka,are on the reef collecting sea urchins for lunch. Beneath the shifting skiff, the swelling water is clear despite Fiji’s bustling capital Suva sprawling along the next point, an easily walkable distance.

When out collecting Vesikara and the other fishers carefully skirt the tabu – pronounced TAM-bo– a no-fishing zone demarcated by barnacled pillars embedded into the reef floor.