Marine Life

The Namena MPA encompasses the entire reef around Namena Island, known as the Namena Barrier Reef, and is part of a larger network of marine protected areas set aside by the Kubulau District to preserve their reefs for future generations. A multitude of species large and small reside here, including sharks, groupers, tuna, schools of barracuda, and multi-colored soft corals and more.

UNPARALLELED BIODIVERSITY

• The Namena MPA is home to over 1,000 species of invertebrates, 400 known corals, 445 documented marine plants and over 1,100 fish species.
• Namena is a migratory pathway for cetaceans, and you may encounter several species including bottlenose and spinner dolphins, as well as pilot, minke, sperm and humpback whales.
• Namena provides nesting beaches for green and hawksbill turtles. In fact, Fiji has 4 of the world’s 7 marine turtle species, all of which are endangered.
• The Namena Island is a major seabird nesting site, with approximately 600 pairs of protected red- footed boobies.
• There are 3 different types of sea snake and numerous land snakes on the islands.

Some of the marine life you might see includes:

	Blue Ribbon Eel Rhinomuraena quaesita This long colorful eel is known throughout the Indo-Pacific as a surprise hunter. The only known moray species to be a protandrous hermaphrodite, it is born as a male but changes into a female if necessary.
	Barracuda Sphyraena sp. Known for it’s sharp teeth and long shape, the barracuda has incorrectly gained a reputation for danger. Attacks on humans are very rare and these species prefer other food sources (whom they track at 40-50 km per hour!).
	Cephalopods A variety of squid and other cephalopods are native to Fiji and may be encountered if an individual reveals itself from camouflage.
	Tiger Sharks Galeoserdo cuvier This predatory shark hunts alone and usually at night. It’s main diet consists of fish, seals, squid, sharks, and turtles.
	Hawksbill Sea Turtle Eretmochelys imbricata The Hawksbill Turtle resides in Tropical regions of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. At a young age, the turtles are unable to dive in deep water and reside mainly in floating sea plants.

This web site is supported and maintained by the Coral Reef Alliance