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Tonga’s Ocean Plan set for 2021 start

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NUKU’ALOFA – Tongan officials expect to take the country’s Ocean Plan to cabinet this year after the initial plan was postponed.

Having had nation-wide consultations in 2018 and 2019, the Tonga Ocean 7 team had hoped to finalise the plan in 2020.

But COVID-19 forced the delay as the Tongan government focused on keeping the kingdom free of the virus.

Environment Chief Executive Officer Paula Ma’u said the delay had given the team more time to review the plan and ensure everything was in place before it was submitted to cabinet.

Working with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Waitt Institute and the Italian Ministry of Environment, the Tonga Ocean 7 team has been able to finalise finer details of the plan.

These include different maps showing zones that have been marked for specific activities such as the special management areas (SMAs), marine protected areas (MPAs) and no-take zones.

Included in the zoning as well are areas marked for tuna fisheries, tourism activities and special marine parks.

“These are important parts of the plan, which will become the ocean management plan once that is approved and then gazetted,” Mr Ma’u said.

Plan critical for protecting marine resources

The plan is critical for Tonga, especially in the face of losing marine resources for various reasons, including over-use and climate change.

Mr Ma’u is one of the three government chief executive officers who chair the Tonga Ocean 7 management committee.

The others are Dr Tu’ikolongahau Halafihi, of the Fisheries Ministry, and Ms Rosamond Bing, of the Ministry of Lands, Survey and Natural Resources.

Officials attending a Tonga Ocean 7 meeting in February included (at the front), the Hon. Frederica Tuita Filipe, of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, and (at the back in a black shirt) Dr Halafihi, the CEO of the Fisheries Ministry, who chaired the meeting.
Officials attending a Tonga Ocean 7 meeting in February included (at the front), the Hon. Frederica Tuita Filipe, of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, and (at the back in a black shirt) Dr Halafihi, the CEO of the Fisheries Ministry, who chaired the meeting.

A challenge to manage the fisheries for all

Dr Halafihi said his ministry had been in the forefront of finding solutions to Tonga’s fisheries problems, which included tuna fisheries.

Tuna fishing within the Tongan exclusive economic zone (EEZ) has been dominated by longlining since the 1950s.

He said tuna in the Tonga EEZ were fished mainly by the distant-water longline fleets of Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Before 2004, the longline fleet consisted of around 15–25 local and locally based foreign vessels. Following a moratorium on foreign fishing in 2004, the size of the fleet declined, and by the end of 2011 consisted of only 3 vessels.

Dr Halafihi said foreign tuna longliners had been allowed to fish in Tongan waters since 2011 as part of Tonga’s program to increase tuna fisheries production.

In 2014, 19 foreign-flagged longline vessels had valid licences to fish in Tongan waters. The vessels were from Chinese Taipei (14 longliners), China (3), and Fiji (2). Thirteen of those vessels were less than 100 gross registered tonnes (GRT), with one being larger than 200 GRT.

In the same year, the catch for the Tongan longline fleet was about 61% yellowfin, 8% albacore, and 7% bigeye. In previous years, albacore was targeted but the focus switched to the higher-value yellowfin and bigeye tuna for fresh fish export markets. Dolphin was presently the most common non-target species.

With this scenario in place, the Fisheries Ministry had worked tirelessly with the Tonga Ocean 7 team to ensure that the Ocean Plan was finalised and gazetted for use.

“This is going to be a comprehensive management plan,” Dr Halafihi said.

While the tuna fisheries are a major focus, communities around Tonga have also raised their concerns on what they believe is best for the country.

Some have asked that special areas be marked off so that they can fish and earn income from their own fisheries activities.

Others have voiced concern that “others” from outside their communities are accessing their fishing areas.

“So there has been a lot of give and take to make sure that everyone is on the same page,” Dr Halafihi said.

The CEO of Tonga’s environment ministry, Mr Paula Ma’u, at a meeting in early 2021
The CEO of Tonga’s environment ministry, Mr Paula Ma’u, at a meeting this year

Policing the Ocean Plan the biggest challenge

Once the plan is gazetted and in use, the bigger challenge would be policing the legislation.

“That is going to be a major challenge,” Mr Ma’u said.

Part of the work so far has been looking at the legal aspects of the draft plan and getting experts also to work on how it will be monitored and policed.

That is why the Tonga Ocean 7 has worked with communities, civil societies, the private sector, government departments and the fisheries industry across the country.

“We will need everyone working on this together if it is going to be successful,” Mr Ma’u said.

The plan is expected to go to cabinet by mid-year and to be in place by the end of 2021.

Tonga Ocean Plan to help better manage tuna and marine resources

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NUKU’ALOFA – There is no doubt that the Pacific’s ocean needs to be better managed so that respective countries in the region can gain the maximum benefits.

This is something the Government of Tonga believes should be done urgently.

Almost everyone believes activities being carried out in Tonga’s waters, including the tuna industry here, have not raked in the maximum that the kingdom should be getting in terms of income and earnings.

Locals are of the thinking that overseas companies and operators are taking advantage of the lack of monitoring and policing – making money and taking that away overseas, without any contribution to the local economy.

“There is no doubt that a lot of activities have been happening in our ocean, throughout our exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and we are not getting the full advantage we should be getting,” said Mr Paula Ma’u, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Meteorology, Environment, Information, Disaster Management, Energy, Climate Change and Communication (MEIDECC).

MEIDECC Chief Executive Officer Paula Ma’u speaking at a government consultation on the Tonga Ocean Plan, with Fisheries CEO Dr Halafihi next to him. Photo: ENVIRO NEWS

“This includes the tuna industry and fisheries in general. And we have decided that we needed to look into how best we can better manage our marine resources and activities so that we gain the benefits we should be getting.

“That saw the birth of the Tonga Ocean 7, which is the name we have given our team tasked with putting together the Tonga Ocean Plan.”

The Tonga Ocean 7 is made up of government ministries and departments that have come together with the common interest of ensuring that Tonga’s ocean and its resources are managed for a sustainable future.

They include the Ministry of MEIDECC, Ministry of Lands and Survey, Ministry of Fisheries, Ministry of Tourism, the Marine Department, the Ports Authority of Tonga, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

How will the Tonga Ocean Plan help the tuna industry?

The tuna industry in Tonga has faced its fair share of ups and lows over the last 30 years.

Tuna fisheries have been identified as one of Tonga’s most important natural resources.

Former Minister for Fisheries Hon. Semisi Fakahau stated in the ‘Tonga National Tuna Fishery and Management Plan’ (2018–2022) that in recent years Tonga had experienced challenging times with the domestic longline operations.

“The rising fuel prices, low albacore prices, low catch rates, and economic pressures create a very difficult environment for domestic operators to remain viable, even with technical and policy support and advice from government,” he stated.

“That said, progress in developing tuna resources for the benefit of the people of Tonga is vital.”

Hon. Fakahau said then that Tonga was working to “fulfil our national and international obligations and to further provide for the sustainable development and management of our domestic tuna fishery”.

In reality, there have been more lows than highs, especially in terms of the local industry’s survival.

Fisheries Chief Executive Officer Dr Tu’ikolongahau Halafihi said there needs to be a review of how Tonga has been managing its tuna resources and the general fisheries practices.

“We believe the Tonga Ocean Plan will help in managing our ocean and its resources,” Dr Halafihi said.

“Records show that we are losing out with our fisheries, and there are possible declines in our fish population generally.

“In the past 15 years or so, we started implementing the Marine Protected Area and Special Management Areas projects, which were aimed at sustaining fisheries and marine resources around our country, in areas that we identified were critical to implementing these in.

“The Tonga Ocean Plan includes all that has been done and looks at how better we can manage everything, including income and what we are losing out on financially.”

Dr Halafihi, and the Fisheries Ministry, is a critical partner in the process that is currently being followed.

So critical that he is one of the three chief executive officers who are joint chairs of the Tonga Ocean 7.

The other two are Mr Ma’u of the Ministry of MEIDECC and Ms Rosamond Bing of the Ministry of Lands and Survey.

Participants and facilitators, including Dr Leanne Fernadez from the IUCN (sitting on the far right) and Lands and Survey CEO Dr Rosamond Bing (sitting second from right), at the Tonga Ocean Plan mapping workshop in Nuku’alofa last year. Photo: ENVIRO NEWS

Mr Ma’ said the importance of the Tonga Ocean Plan cannot be overemphasised.

“The plan is critical for us as we really need to ensure that we are able to manage what we have and sustain that for the future generations,” he said.

Pointing to the tuna industry and the challenges it faces, Mr Ma’u said ensuring that areas where the tuna population thrive need to be protected.

The process to develop the plan

With funding from the Italian Government, Waitt Institute, Ocean5 plus technical support from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Vava’u Environment Protection Agency (VEPA), the Tonga Ocean 7 team commissioned a national consultation in 2018.

That consultation focused on what is currently being done in Tonga’s ocean and sea area, what will happen if we continue with the current trend, what the pros and cons are, what people believe should be done, and the benefits of having the Tonga Ocean Plan.

Starting in Ha’apai in October 2019, the consultation team then visited Vava’u, NIuatoputapu, Niuafo’ou, ‘Eua and then made the round the island consultation on Tongatapu.

The Tonga Ocean Plan consultation team with the Govenor of Ha’apai, Rev. Dr Tevita Tonga Mohenoa Puloka, sitting second from right, at the Governor’s office in Pangai, Ha’apai, in October 2018 for the first round of consultation. Photo: ENVIRO NEWS

Consultation team member and former Fisheries Director Dr Vailala Matoto said they were surprised with the feedback and responses from members of the public.

Respondents included men, women and youths from the different villages, tourism operators on the different islands, local fishermen and women, ship operators, and tuna industry players.

“There was general consensus that there needs to be a change in how we are doing things and managing our resources,” Dr Vailala said.

“The idea of the Tonga Ocean Plan was unanimously endorsed at all the consultation meetings held, which was very encouraging.

“The responses, suggestions and reports were then given to the legal drafting team, headed by Ms Rosamond Bing, who were tasked with drafting the legislations.”

The drafting team worked with all stakeholders, especially members of the government legal fraternity, in drafting the legislation.

Dr Vailala said that legislation will now be taken to the communities for the second round of consultation this year.

Bright future

Tonga intends to implement the ocean plan by the end of this year.

That plan will manage all activities carried out within Tonga’s EEZ.

And there is optimism in that that there are better days are ahead.

The Minister for MEIDECC, Hon. Poasi Tei (left), and CEO Paula Ma’u listening to updates on the Tonga Ocean Plan consultation in Nei’afu, Vava’u. Photo: EMVIRO NEWS

“We are already seeing the results from the SMAs and MPAs around the country,” MEIDECC’s Mr Ma’u said.

“There is a bright future ahead if we are serious and act on what is now being planned.”

Dr Halafihi supported that comment and added that Tonga’s tuna fisheries should be in a better shape moving forward.

“We are positive,” he added.

That is the feeling around the kingdom right now as people anticipate the finalisation of the Tonga Ocean Plan and its implementation – aimed at sustaining Tonga’s tuna fisheries and marine resources for years to come!