Cook Islanders want to extend the use of traditional bans to protect their seafood sources.
Northern Cook Islands Photo: Supplied
As the Cook Islands government develops its huge maritime reserve, or Marae Moana, in the southern parts of the country, it has announced a task force to develop policy with hopes it will have legislation in place by June.
A spokesperson for the Marae Moana, Kevin Iro, says one of the ideas being put forward is for an extension to the concept of ra'ui.
"So now particular islands are saying they would like a type of ra'ui that might extend out to 50 nautical miles (80 kilometres) whereas the current law is only 12 nautical miles (19 kilometres). So those are just some of the examples coming back from the public, but that is exactly why we have got the taskforce in place, to be able to look at all these proposals."