Title
Impact of Tropical Cyclone Winston on mud crab fishers in Fiji
Author(s)
Thomas, Alyssa S. ;Vandervord, Chloe ;Fox, Margaret ;Nand, Yashika;Nalasi, Unaisi;Mangubhai, Sangeeta
Published
2018
Publisher
SPC Women in Fisheries Information Bulletin
Abstract
Fiji is highly sensitive to natural disasters, and over the last four decades half of those experienced by the country were tropical cyclones (Lal et al. 2009). On 20 February 2016, Fiji was hit by Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Winston, which left a trail of destruction along its path over a 24-hour period. The cyclone damaged or destroyed 30,369 homes, 495 schools and 88 medical facilities, and 44 people lost their lives (Government of Fiji 2016). Crops were destroyed on a large scale and the livelihoods of 62% of the population were affected. The total value of damages and losses was estimated at FJD 1.99 billion3 and the fisheries sector, comprising 1.8% of Fiji’s GDP, sustained damages and losses estimated at over FJD 40.7 million (Government of Fiji 2016). A post-cyclone village-level assessment led by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), the Fiji Locally Managed Marine Area Network (FLMMA) and partners, documented losses in boats, engines, fishing and postharvest gear totalling FJD 2,960,139 across six provinces (Chaston Radway et al. 2016). Losses in fishing gear and infrastructure impacted key fisheries such as coral reef fish, sea cucumbers, prawns, shrimp and mud crabs. Data collected in the assessment were sex-disaggregated to look at how the cyclone impacted men versus women

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