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 Species: 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 Species: Sphyraena 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 Species: 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 Species: 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