Country profile
Coastal fisheries snapshot
demersal fish (including emperors, snappers, parrotfish and rabbitfish), invertebrates for export (e.g. sea cucumbers) and gleaned from intertidal habitats (e.g. giant clams), and nearshore pelagic fish (including trevally and barracuda) using a range of fishing methods.
Top 5 training topics
Gender participation
Male participations: 1,330 (63%) · Female participations: 776 (37%)
Yearly participations (2016–2025)
Projected changes in atmospheric & ocean climate (by 2050)
Relative to 1995-2014 baseline. Regional CMIP6 projections applied to Fiji's climate zone (Southwest Pacific Convergence).
Coastal fisheries (current vs 2050)
demersal fish (including emperors, snappers, parrotfish and rabbitfish), invertebrates for export (e.g. sea cucumbers) and gleaned from intertidal habitats (e.g. giant clams), and nearshore pelagic fish (including trevally and barracuda) using a range of fishing methods.
Oceanic fisheries (current vs 2050)
Tuna fisheries — skipjack, yellowfin, bigeye and albacore. Habitat areas projected to shift with ocean temperature, stratification and oxygen content changes.
Freshwater & estuarine fisheries (current vs 2050)
Inland fisheries are expected to be affected by changes in rainfall patterns, river flow, and habitat accessibility by 2050.
Aquaculture (current vs 2050)
Mariculture impacted by sea surface temperature, ocean acidification and intense storms. Freshwater aquaculture may benefit from increased freshwater habitat but face disease and temperature pressure.
freshwater prawns (Macrobrachium spp
Livelihoods & economies (current vs 2050)
Fisheries and aquaculture provide household income, jobs and government revenue. Climate-driven changes will affect employment and economic contribution.
Aquatic food security (current vs 2050)
Aquatic (blue) foods provide an important source of nutrition. Population growth combined with climate impacts may create deficits in fish supply.
Drivers of impact on fish availability by 2050: 56% climate change · 44% population change
Blue food production systems (current vs 2050)
Blue foods contribute to nutrition security, economies, livelihoods and jobs. Climate impacts on coastal, oceanic, freshwater fisheries and aquaculture together determine the system's resilience.
make key contributions to nutrition and economies. Compared to other Pacific islands, projected climate impacts to blue food production by 2050 are medium to high.
Recommended adaptation: Food & nutrition security
- Implement sustainable ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management Food and Nutrition 2
- Manage freshwater and estuarine fisheries to harness opportunities Food and Nutrition 4
- Promote education and awareness on the importance of protecting aquatic habitats, species and the foods they supply
Recommended adaptation: Sustainable livelihoods
- Diversify aquaculture commodities and develop new farmed climate-resilient species, strains and varieties
- Apply innovative technologies and climate-smart tools for pond aquaculture and mariculture Livelihoods 3
Recommended adaptation: Economies & government revenue
- Implement climate-informed fisheries management Economic Revenue 2
- Implement energy efficiency programs for fisheries and aquaculture Economic Revenue 4
- Climate-proof infrastructure
Community-based Fisheries Management — Fiji
Source: Govan & Lalavanua 2022 (SPC), updated from FAO & SPC Outlook 2026. See the regional CBFM Report for full analysis.
Coastal fisheries in Fiji
demersal fish (including emperors, snappers, parrotfish and rabbitfish), invertebrates for export (e.g. sea cucumbers) and gleaned from intertidal habitats (e.g. giant clams), and nearshore pelagic fish (including trevally and barracuda) using a range of fishing methods.
Tuna fisheries in Fiji
The Pacific is home to the world's largest tuna fishery, with member countries' EEZs producing over half of the global tuna catch. Fiji's EEZ covers 1,282,980 km², providing significant access to tuna and other oceanic resources.
Fisheries Contributions to Fiji's Economy
Harvest by sector (1999 → 2021)
Volume and economic value of fisheries production by sector, from successive Benefish studies. Use the toggle to switch between volume (tonnes) and value (F$).
Fishing contribution to GDP
Official contribution of fishing (and aquaculture, where included) to Fiji's GDP, in F$ (millions). The line shows the percentage of total GDP.
Key findings from Benefish Study 4
8.2 Contribution of fishing to GDP
Current official contribution The official contribution of fishing and aquaculture to Fiji's GDP in recent years is given in Table 8-6. Fishing & aquaculture 91.2 83.6 77.4 66.8 Fiji GDP 11,650.6 11,842.6 9,709.8 8,895.9 Fishing & aquaculture as % of GDP 0.78% 0.71% 0.80% 0.75% Upon enquiry to the Fiji Bureau of Statistics, the gross output, intermediate costs and value added were provided for the four years (Table 8-7).
Full chapter section in Benefish Study 4 →
8.3 Exports of fishery production
Table 8-10 gives the value of fish exports from Fiji for the period 2015 through 2021 and compares the amounts to all exports of the country. The table covers product category Harmonized System (HS) code HS 036, which is defined to be "fish and crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates". HS 03 exports Total exports HS 03 as % of total exports Thousands of F$ 2015 83,272 1,150,969 7.23 2016 112,727 1,136,092 9.92 2017 90,758 1,192,862 7.61 2018 84,278 1,174,971 7.
Full chapter section in Benefish Study 4 →
8.4 Government revenue from fisheries
Access fees for offshore fishing The only foreign vessels licensed to fish in Fiji's zone are U.S. purse seiners under the multilateral treaty to which Fiji is a party.7 Their fishing in the Fiji zone is sporadic and minimal (e.g. 162 t in 2013). As no foreign-based offshore catches in 2020 and 2021 were reported to have been made in the country's EEZ in Fiji's report to the WCPFC Scientific Committee, it is assumed that no foreign-based tuna catches were made during those years.
Full chapter section in Benefish Study 4 →
8.5 Fisheries-related employment
Starkhouse (2009) appears to be the most methodical study of employment in Fiji's coastal fisheries in the last two decades. That study estimates the number of (a) subsistence fishers in the country to be about 23,000, (b) fulltime artisanal fishers to be about 5,000 and (c) part-time artisanal fishers to be 12,000. By contrast, an Asian Development Bank (ADB) study (Hand et al.
Full chapter section in Benefish Study 4 →
8.6 Fish consumption
The following summarise some of the results of earlier studies on fish consumption in Fiji: • The Fisheries Division (2000) gives per capita seafood consumption based on the official production data divided by the Fiji population. The results show that in 1999 the rate was 56.0 kg, of which subsistence fishery provided 46%. • Preston (2000) used 1995 Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) production, import and export information to estimate a per capita supply of fish in Fiji of 50.
Full chapter section in Benefish Study 4 →
Fiji — country resources
Direct access to country-specific chapters, regional report cards and economic studies.