The residents of Ucunivanua Village (pictured below) in Fiji have been harvesting the mud clam kaikoso for centuries. After noticing the dwindling stocks and size of this important resource (for both local consumption and sale in market), the traditional leadership of the village declared a no-fishing zone for a period of two years to allow the resource to recuperate.

The white lines in the photo below right show the LMMA area under protection. Regular monitoring reveals greater size and numbers of mud clams, in addition to sightings of species not seen for years, pointing to a successful outcome from LMMA use in this particular case.

Ucunivanua village

Ucunivanua village with LMMA

For more examples of LMMAs, please see our Stories from the Field.