THE Fisheries Department cannot reprimand people fishing for personal consumption.
Ministry of Fisheries deputy permanent secretary Penina Cirikiyasawa said licences were issued for commercial fishing.
She was responding to comments made by Suva City special administrator Chandu Umaria on people fishing at Suva's Nabukalou Creek.
Mr Umaria raised his concerns on people fishing in the polluted creek and said the council was powerless to stop people from fishing there.
Ms Cirikiyasawa said Nabukalou Creek was part of SCC's jurisdiction.
"They (SCC) can chase people from there," she said. "They also have their health department that should be looking at this effluent."
But Mr Umaria denied that the council could chase people saying it was not true.
Last week, Health Minister Dr Neil Sharma said the killer E.coli bacteria was among pollutants in the creek. He said it was unsafe to eat fish caught from the creek.
Ms Cirikiyasawa acknowledged it was a problem and said there was a need for the three parties to meet and discuss the issue.
"I've informed our director of Fisheries that we need to have a meeting with the Ministry of Health and Suva City Council," she said.
"It is a problem that we need to address and we will assist and look at means and ways of dealing with the problem."