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WCS has been conducting surveys of reef community assemblages inside and outside the marine protected areas (MPAs) within the Kubulau District traditional fishing ground (qoliqoli) since an MPA network was established in 2005. The purpose of this study was to collect data of small to medium scale movement of fish in this network of no-take MPAs, which can provide crucial information for the interpretation of demographic fish data from on-going monitoring programme and insight to MPA protection efficiency.

Research for this study was carried out under a four-year project to assist communities in Kubulau district and Macuata Province of Vanua Levu to establish networks of marine protected areas within their large, traditional fishing grounds (qoliqoli). From 2005-2009, underwater visual census (UVC) surveys of fish size and abundance and benthic habitat condition were carried out at 5 MPAs in Kubulau (2 small, village-managed (tabu) areas: Yamotu Lase, Nakali; 3 large, district-managed no-take MPAs: Namena, Namuri, Nasue), while 3 large tabu areas were surveyed in Macuata qoliqoli in 2008 (Cakaulevu, Talai-i-Lau, Vatuka). Reef fish species richness was surveyed in Kubulau in 2009 and compared against values observed from the Great Sea Reef in Macuata in 2004.