Sasalu Tawamudu Fiji - Sustainable Reef Resources

Sustainable Fijian Reef Resources Inc. (Sasalu Tawamudu) is a state-of-Georgia registered not-for-profit corporation with US IRS 501(c)3 status for tax deductible donations. It was founded by Dr. Bill Aalbersberg, the Director of Applied Sciences at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji, Dr. Kirk Bowman, a professor of international affairs at Georgia Tech, and Dr. Terry Snell, a biology professor at Georgia Tech. Aalbersberg, Bowman, and Snell are part of an international team of scientists and researchers who are funded by the Fogarty Center of the US National Institutes of Health to work on drug discovery, conservation, and sustainable economic development in Fiji. Sustainable Fijian Reef Resources is a culmination of part of that work and combines local knowledge from Fijian stakeholders, cutting edge science on reef health, market dynamics, local community activism, and internet marketing.

The Board of Directors all serve without any compensation of any kind. Due to generous support from the International Cooperative Biodiversity Group program of the Fogarty Center of the National Institutes of Health that supports our web page, all donations go directly to programs and partners in Fiji, such as the award-winning Fiji Locally Managed Marine Area Network (FLMMA).

Board of Directors of Sustainable Fijian Reef Resources, Inc.:

• Dr. Bill Aalbersberg, Ph.D. Professor and Director of the Institute of Applied Sciences at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji
• Dr. Kirk Bowman, Ph.D. Associate Professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
• Alison Graab. Former student body president of Georgia Tech and law student in environmental law.
• Dr. Mark Hay, Ph.D. Harry and Linda Teasely Chair in Environmental Biology at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
• Jon Wilcox. President of California Republic Bank.

Sustainable Fijian Reef Resources also utilizes an advisory council of prominent Fijians, representing environmental groups, stakeholders, tourism industry leaders, and political leaders.

Sasalu Tawamudu Fiji - Sustainable Reef Resources

Saving the Oceans One Text Message at a Time | Changemakers

How many times have you whipped out your cell phone and texted a message that could help save the planet? Probably never, right? Well branch out from all those lols and xoxos and send a text to FishPhone.

By Alison Craiglow Hockenberry

FishPhone provides instant information about how environmentally friendly (or not) a particular seafood species is. The next time you’re ordering dinner at a restaurant or shopping at the seafood counter, try this:

Text to 306-44 the word “fish” and then the name of the kind of fish you think you’d like to eat. For example type in “fish salmon” and find out in a few seconds whether it’s harvested responsibly and whether there are any contaminants or other health concerns.

What you’ll learn is that wild salmon from Alaska is among the best choices you can make if you care about the health of the world’s oceans; but farmed salmon carries significant environmental and health risks.

FishPhone was launched in 2007 by two conservationists at Blue Ocean Institute, Dane Klinger and Nick Hall who wanted to help consumers make more informed choices. The world’s supply of fish is being rapidly depleted due to overfishing and some species are on the brink of collapse. The oceans are, indeed, in peril.

But solutions abound. More and more fishing operations are harvesting fish in ways that don’t put so much pressure on the fish populations and that leave fewer pollutants in the water.

Blue Ocean boiled down the complicated details of the world’s fisheries and categorized species according to traffic-light colors. Green: okay. Yellow: some concerns. Red: stop and think about choosing something else. FishPhone even gives you a suggested alternative to the red species you had your eye on.

Hall says this puts power in the hands of consumers and also gets other people interested.

“It’s an innovative way to engage with other people who might not be aware of these issues: the waiter, the person behind the seafood counter,” Hall said. “It’s a nice way to start a discussion.”

Saving the Oceans One Text Message at a Time | Changemakers