Abstract
This research was carried out in 2005 and 2006 in the coastal area of eastern Viti Levu, Republic of the Fiji Islands, where coral reefs and mangrove forests coexist. The aim is to study the relationship between the marine environments, the biodiversity of marine industrially important species and the fisheries at the community level. Twenty one families, 22 genuses, 33 species of fish and 8 families, 9 genuses, 11 species of mollusks were caught by the local people in this area. Salinity in the mangrove area was lower than in the coral reef area. Carbon-based biomass and its composition in the zooplankton community were also different in both areas. Fishing methods used were net fishing, hand line fishing, and spear fishing for fish and gleaning on the tidal flat to find a siphon of bivalve. In this area, traditional fishing techniques were used and the healthy natural environment conditions existed, and these might contribute to maintain the high biodiversity level of fish and mollusks. In the further sustainable use of coastal resources, community based resource management and ecosystem based co-management are important.
