During a fishing competition in 1984, over $1,500 in awards was distributed to the leading fishing group and individual fishermen from the Western Division. A report from The Fiji Times dated March 12, 1984, highlighted the achievements of the Ratu Busa group, a 40-member team from Yaqeta Village in Yasawa, which secured the title of top fishing group, while the individual award was claimed by Muttap Reddy of Nacovi, Nadi.
The Ratu Busa group received several prizes including a 15-horsepower outboard engine, a transistor radio, fishing lines, an engine tank, and a carton of canned fish. Their team leader, Kini Jioji Rakata, was also awarded tickets from Fiji Air for a visit to the Pacific Fishing Company canning factory located in Levuka. Muttap Reddy received an assortment of fishing gear, including fish lines, hooks, canned fish, and a sack of flour.
The prizes were presented by Farouk Sahu Khan, who was the Divisional Planning Officer for the Western region at that time. The article noted that the Ratu Busa Group was established in 1977 and owned two 8.5-meter fishing vessels, a 7.5-meter punt equipped with a 28-horsepower engine, a Kaia fishing net, two monofilament gill nets, and four sets of deep-water snapper lines. With their earnings from fishing, the group successfully built two three-bedroom concrete houses in their village.
Additionally, they initiated their project with a contribution of $8,300 from New Zealand Aid towards the purchase of a $9,500 boat, with the remainder financed through a loan from the Fiji Development Bank. Muttap Reddy, who began fishing in 1970, owned a half-cabin 7-meter by 5-meter boat powered by a 40-horsepower outboard, alongside a two-by-three-meter open punt, 50 coils of 76-millimeter mesh, monofilament gill nets, and a 39-meter turtle net. He also built a two-bedroom concrete home on crown-leased land acquired through his fishing endeavors.
The Fisheries Department established selection criteria that included fishing performance, loan repayment history, and the provision of catch information for data compilation.