Tonga overexploiting bêche-de-mer, says Minister [1]
Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - 18:02. Updated on Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - 18:10.
Tonga’s bêche-de-mer resources are currently overexploited, Tonga's Minister of Agriculture and Food, Forests and Fisheries Hon. Semisi Fakahau said in opening a Regional Technical Bêche-de-mer meeting in Nuku'alofa today.
The three-day special meeting on bêche-de-mer will look at establishing a regional framework to underpin the sustainability of this natural resource in the Pacific because its overexploitation is evident in many countries.
“We believe the current Tonga bêche-de-mer fishery mismanagement situation will become a good learning experience for you all as it reveals many challenges that are common to most if not all of us when trying to manage our bêche-de-mer fishery sustainably,” he said. Tonga’s hosting this meeting demonstrated the high priority it has towards sustainable development and management of bêche-de-mer resources.
“We will work closely with all of you to collectively determine the best possible ways to achieve the sustainable harvesting and management of our beche-de-mer resources.”
The meeting follows a Pacific Ministers endorsement made at a Coastal Fisheries and Bêche-de-mer Summit in Nadi last August to implement action on beche-de-mer management.
It will report on progress of national implementation efforts and recommend a way forward on bêche-de-mer management including considering of options to improve regional coastal fisheries cooperation with special regard to bêche-de-mer, said the Minister.
Taholo Kami the Regional Director of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), said nothing is working and we need to take the lessons from the things that are working and see what direction we need to take to make this work.
“We need to look at the value and ask those questions of what is important to us as Pacific Islanders and how to make it work…We need to take extraordinary measures,” he urged.
The meeting is jointly-sponsored by PNG National Fisheries Authority, FAO and IUCN, Oceania Regional Office with support from SPC, USP and WorldFish Centre.
Tonga has, since the end of the last sea cucumber harvesting season closed or banned the commercial harvesting of this resource due to the depletion of stock.