The Fiji Blue Fishing project is launching its first cycle of field-based activities and Living Labs, combining community engagement, stakeholder interviews, on-site observations and value-chain assessments carried out in collaboration with the Fiji Locally Managed Marine Areas Network (LMMA).

As part of this mission, which will conclude at the end of December, the research team will visit different coastal villages involved in the project. The first one has been Mau Village, a coastal iTaukei community in Namosi Province. Mau is home to about 642 residents and is characterised by strong cultural identity, mixed agriculture–fishing livelihoods, active youth groups and ongoing development initiatives such as a Women’s Resource Centre working on seaweed value-adding. These features make Mau a strategic site for co-creating sustainable fishery innovations and community-driven environmental practices.

The team is conducting preliminary assessments of fishing environments, documenting landing and market conditions and interviewing multiple stakeholder groups along the fishery value chain, including fishers, processors, vendors, community leaders and public officers.

Through questionnaires customised according to the stakeholder interviewed, researchers are collecting data on environmental awareness and plastic-use practices, fishing gear and materials (including interest in biodegradable alternatives), market conditions and species availability, attitudes toward sustainable technologies and opportunities for circular-economy solutions linked to fish waste and organic resources.

In parallel, the Living Lab is activating the first participatory workshops, where community members are engaging in collective reflection on local challenges and possible pathways for transition, from waste management and reduced plastic use to sustainable fishing practices, governance needs and cultural dimensions of ocean stewardship. These sessions are supporting a shared understanding of priorities and opening space for collaboration among different actors.

Institutional meetings are also taking place at the Ministry of Fisheries Offshore Service Center to exchange insights on regulatory frameworks, data gaps and potential alignment with national strategies for sustainable fisheries management.

The Fiji Blue Fishing Living Lab will continue in the coming months with further community visits, co-design sessions, training activities and the development of pilot actions grounded in local knowledge and cultural practices.